The brief

A retired marine engineer and a translator wanted a house on a cliff they had walked for thirty years. The site had no road, a 14% fall, and gusts recorded at 92 mph.

What we did

We buried the services and stair in a board-marked concrete spine set into the slope, then hung a warm oak-lined volume off its leeward side. The concrete takes the weather; the timber takes the living.

Glazing is limited to three openings, each sized to a specific view rather than a specific room. The result is a house that is dark where it should be and startling where it matters.

Outcome

Completed on programme in 2024. Airtightness tested at 0.9 ach, comfortably inside Passivhaus territory without the certification cost the clients did not want to carry.