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The Farmhouse

Winner of the Sussex Heritage Trust Award 2023: a stunning new family home in the rolling hills of the South Downs National Park, inspired by the local agricultural vernacular.

Located in a stunning site, the project comprises the building of a new Farmhouse to create a characterful family home. The home has been completed with landscaped terraced gardens, swimming pool and refurbished outbuildings.

The design embraces the local rural aesthetic but with a more modern take on the design. We celebrated local materials, using traditional handmade clay tiles and stone walls, balanced with the contemporary painted larch cladding, generous glazing and some contemporary zinc roofing. To reduce the massing different kinds of timber cladding were installed, a simple and effective design detail which adds a beautiful changing texture as the shadow’s changes throughout the day. The structure is also timber-framed, with the occasional steel beam for long spans. A feature spanning over the living room is an exposed glulam beam floor.

A key design moment is the striking front porch, crafted as one piece of painted metal, a dramatic statement for the home that brings together the collaborative design elements of the house. The grand entrance porch offers generous space below for bespoke seating.

Photos courtesy of George & James Architects and photographers Tarry + Perry.

Architect
George & James
Location
West Sussex
Project Engineer
Des Mairs