Saltmarsh House | Niall McLaughlin Architects

Isle of Wight / United Kingdom / 2021

17
17 Love 1,828 Visits Published

Saltmarsh House overlooks a tidal salt marsh in the northeast of the Isle of Wight.


Conceived as a delicate, steel framed pavilion that floats above a meadow of wild grasses, the simple house includes a long living and dining hall framed by three smaller spaces: a kitchen, a bedroom, and a bathroom.


Located in a Conservation Area, the site for the house is the seaward edge of the gardens of a grade II listed Victorian house dating from the 1860s. Whilst occupied by an asbestos ridden bungalow and tarmac driveway, the site is characterised by pasture and rich woodland containing oak, hazel and field maple. It overlooks the remnants of an old tidal mill pond with a sandy Duver, and the harbour beyond. This low-lying coastal landscape of mudflats, marsh, low water pools and sand dunes is designated as a site of Special Scientific Interest (SSI) and a Wetland of International Importance.


The house is approached by a serpentine track that winds down the hill through long grasses and fruit trees towards the water’s edge. Descending the hill, the first glimpses of the house are of the four pyramidal ridges of the deep brown patinated copper roof set against the ochre and sandy colours of the mudflats and dunes. The distinctive roof form references the repeating pitched roofed glass modules of the early 20th Century glasshouses which once graced the kitchen gardens further up the hill.


The building is arranged around a 5m x 5m structural grid of quadripartite tubular steel columns that defines the organisational structure of the house and supports a lightweight trussed roof. The building is four bays long and one bay wide with a further half bay cantilevering out to all sides. The main hall space occupies three complete bays whilst the sleeping, cooking, and washing spaces occupy half bays along with a perimeter veranda. The roof form acts to unite the individually expressed internal and external spaces within a singular volume.


A thermally high performing glass wall, passing through the centre of eight of the columns, delineates the inside spaces from the outside and reveals the building skeleton internally and externally. Three large, counterweighted sash windows, each spanning a complete structural bay, can be dropped beneath the floor to allow the hall to be completely opened to the outside. Rising internal shutters, hand painted to convey a graphical representation of the landscape that they obscure, can be lifted to enjoy privacy whilst dining.


The slender steel frame was prefabricated, and test assembled before being brought to site. Highly insulated prefabricated cassettes were made up for the roof and floor and the three complete rectilinear pods housing the bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen were constructed offsite before being lifted into place.


The steel frame is painted in a rich golden colour and the underside of the copper roof is lined with timber. Together with the weathered silver deck, these materials reflect the warm hues and cool tones of the surrounding pasture and marshland.

17 users love this project
Comments
    comment
    user
    Enlarge image

    Saltmarsh House overlooks a tidal salt marsh in the northeast of the Isle of Wight. Conceived as a delicate, steel framed pavilion that floats above a meadow of wild grasses, the simple house includes a long living and dining hall framed by three smaller spaces: a kitchen, a bedroom, and a bathroom. Located in a Conservation Area, the site for the house is the seaward edge of the gardens of a grade II listed Victorian house dating from the 1860s. Whilst occupied by an asbestos ridden bungalow...

    Project details
    • Year 2021
    • Work finished in 2021
    • Status Completed works
    Archilovers On Instagram
    Lovers 17 users