SDA 2022 Entries

• Housing - Buildings such as houses, flats and apartments that are used for sheltering people. These could be either part of the private or public sector and could be individual dwellings or multi-dwelling developments. Social rented, affordable rented and intermediate housing provided to specified eligible households whose needs are not met by the market, are included. 

Freeholders is a new home looking out over the harbour of Wells Next the Sea in North Norfolk. The site sits within a conservation area, characterised by cottages and terraces in irregular clusters along narrow lanes. The ambition for the project was to build something striking but in keeping with the area.
The design was constrained by a planning requirement to place all the living space at first-floor level, as the proximity to the harbour means the area is prone to flooding. This meant that the whole site had to be used, making it challenging to achieve a design that felt comfortable in its context.
In response to this, the building is separated into three sections, each with a different material quality. This approach reduces the mass of the building to a comfortable scale and plays on the multiple ad hoc additions that are found in this part of the town.
The ground floor is constructed from robust materials that can withstand flooding and contains a workshop and boat store opening out onto the quay. The entrance to the house is tucked around the side. It leads straight into a stairwell to the living spaces above. A large bay window cantilevers out to shelter the entrance; looking up Jolly Sailor Lane and connecting the back and front sections. The two front sections – one white painted flint and brick, the other narrower and clad in Corten steel – contain the open plan living space and main bedroom, which both look north out to sea.
Hidden within the pitched roofs of the three volumes is a roof terrace, providing an unusual viewpoint of the roofscape of Wells, as well as a sheltered outdoor space to enjoy the sea.

In selecting the external materials, we wanted to reference the rich textures of the towns and villages along the North Norfolk Coast, which made use of local flint and brick in combination with whitewash, pantiles and render. The chosen palette is fundamental to the character of the building, creating the distinction between the three sections – one white, one orange and one grey. This gives the impression of a cluster of buildings at a similar scale to the jumbled cottages that make up this area of Wells. The main front volume, which faces both the harbour and the side lane, is white painted brick and flint, with traditional dark clay pantiles to the roof. The second front volume, clad in Corten steel louvres with corrugated steel roofing, drew inspiration from the colour and texture of orange netted lobster pots stacked up in front of the fishermen’s sheds. The entrance, which is accessed from the side lane, is sheltered by a projecting bay window, clad in Corten sheets, that links the rear with the front.

The building is made from robust materials that will remain in excess of 60 years: traditional render, painted brickwork and clay tiles, oak and Corten cladding. The requirement for displacing all living accommodation above a 1:200 year + climate change flood line ensures longevity of use.

We spent some time looking at the flint walls in Wells and other North Norfolk villages and talking to craftspeople with experience of working in flint to decide the right application for this site. We wanted lots of texture so that the flints would come through clearly after they were painted, and felt that the more informal walls from around Wells were a good reference point. The final specification used a mix of flint sizes, mostly rounded; well-spaced with large mortar joints; loosely coursed, and with some broken bricks in places.

The other issue that arose was the use of Corten weathering steel as the site is about 1 mile from the sea. Generally, Corten is valued for its durability, as the top layer of rust protects the integrity of the steel beneath. However salt in the air can prevent the rust coating from forming properly. This was of particular concern with the louvre panels as the steel is only 1.5mm thick. The site is on the edge of a standard definition for a marine environment, but there was still a risk, and so the louvre panels were pre-weathered and ‘pickled’ before coming to site to ensure the protective coating formed properly and was preserved.