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Surrenden House

A new family home on infill site on a leafy avenue in the outskirts of Brighton. Flanked by a Victorian villa and a post-war white rendered the design had to sit comfortably with its neighbours.

We split the house into two distinct volumes separated by a central open court; the front provides a 2-storey brick frontage onto the road sitting beneath a pitched roof, while the rear volume onto the garden is a more relaxed, timber-clad, flat-roofed form. The court allows the interior of the house to breathe and ensures nature is also to hand.

The site slopes down a full storey from the road, so we arranged all main living spaces at grade while the rear part of the house has a garden/party room at the lower level that engages directly with the garden. Bedrooms are provided at first floor, with children at the front and parents, separated by a bridge across the central court, occupying the rear to enjoy the setting sun and garden views.

The central part of the house provides circulation and a staircase that links front and rear volumes and is fronted by the central courtyard, replete with a single ornamental tree.

The house responds to its street context without recourse to pastiche, utilising a linear, earth-coloured brick, recessed concrete lintels above floor height fenestration that also contain black-stained infill panels.

The house will power itself from air source heat pumps, powered by rooftop photovoltaics to be close to carbon neutral.

Status In planning
Contract value £1,000,000
GIA m2 285 m2
Planning consultant Lewis and Co
Landscape architect Fern and Pine
Arboriculturalist Broad Oak Tree Consulting
Project Team Tom Hayes
Photography © Andrew Chard
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