FLINT SHELTER

A house anchored in the cliff.

This newly built house facing the sea opens itself up to the sun during the day, and closes for intimacy during the evening. It is located in a village along the Alabaster Coast (Côte d’Albâtre). It is one of several villages on this coast dense with flint, brick, and sandstone; both old and homogenous. Wartime destruction disrupted the homogeneity of the homes closest to the sea, but this home again reaches for coastal uniformity. The house emerges out of the grassy slopes of the cliff, built with local, historic materials like load-bearing flint walls and slate flooring. 

Constant rain prickles our skin as the coastal winds swirl around us. Drunk with sensation we hear the sea ready to roar and explode against the cliff. Moisture pools in the crevices of clothes, finding its way through the interstices of the material to dampen our skin.

This home serves as a protective shell. Waterproof and resistant to the weather—one feels embraced and sheltered within. Heat from the wood-burning fireplace welcomes all seeking solace from the storm. The view of the sea is ever present in the house; we live in the rhythm of tides, clouds, and the beams of light that scatter and punctate the wet mass that rises and falls before our eyes. A terrace stands out from the property, capturing this horizon.