De La Warr

A ziggurat retreat and England’s ever-changing skies.

For life on England’s coast, weather dominates everything. Fine, warm days are full of aimless, in-the-moment pleasure, then hours later, stinging rain may drive the most carefree to tactical retreat.

For a four-person family on an extraordinary plot in East Sussex, our challenge is to create a backdrop to four independent characters, which offers opportunity to come together in a variety of weathers.

The 400m² concept-stage design salutes the sky with a ziggurat form, continuing below-ground to a courtyard. Upper levels are parental sanctuaries and family day rooms, while lower levels offer intimacy and privacy to wellness, fitness, party, and play spaces.

Side-facing windows are screened, and directional views are created with timber slats. Seaward views are uninterrupted.

Beyond the sunken courtyard, a sauna pops up, periscope-like, to view the horizon. The multilevel garden and balconies, some with external fireplaces, create a private landscape allowing multifaceted engagement with the elements.

This house will be built using a sophisticated, modular, high-performance, ultra-low-energy construction system, manufactured offsite.