Originally built as a fishing hut Vista was stripped back to its timber frame by Simon Conder Associates, dismantled and re-erected on a concrete base then extended to the South and East. The house was carefully oriented to avoid views of the Dungeness Power Station to give uninterrupted views of the sea and desolate beach landscape. Externally the walls and roof are clad in a single membrane of synthetic black ethylene propylene, a technically more sophisticated version of the layers of felt and tar that are found on many local buildings. This membrane provides an energy efficient internal environment. In the winter the windows are generally closed and the black rubber acts as a heat sink, minimising the use of the back-up heat system. In the summer the windows are left open to provide cross ventilation that effectively dissipates the potential heat gain from the black rubber. The building is clad throughout with spruce plywood on the walls, the floors, ceilings, doors, joinery (such as the kitchen units) and the roof. The house, which has but the one bedroom, is simple, elegant and well planned. The living areas flow seamlessly through fold-back glazed doors out on to the sun deck, uniting the internal and external environments. This 92 sq metre (990 sq ft) project was completed for just £115,000 and the uniformity of finishes is both functional and economical, at the same time both warm and elegant- a worthy winner of a Civic Trust Award.
Photography: Chris Gascoigne/ View (07831 340260) and Steve Ambrose (07866 602627)
|
