London studio Adams+Collingwood Architects has embedded a house within the hillside overlooking Salcombe Estuary in Devon to lessen its impact of the surrounding countryside.
Named The Boathouse, the four-bedroom home was built within the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) in England for a pair of local boatbuilders, whose boatyard is adjacent to the property.
Planners allowed the home to be built as it was classified as an Occupational Dwelling for a Rural Worker because the owners maintain the traditional wooden sailing fleet that operates out of the nearby harbour.
The Boathouse overlooks Salcombe Estuary
"The critical issue was to get planning permission for a house in an area of AONB," explained Adams+Collingwood Architects director Robert Adams. "This is exceptional, the house had to be discreet in the landscape, and of architectural merit and design quality."
It is embedded in the hillside
Adams+Collingwood Architects partially embedded the two-storey house into the hillside to lessen its impact on the surrounding countryside.
As it can be seen from Salcombe Estuary, the studio and family wanted the home to be built with traditional materials. The lower floor is clad in stone, while yellow cedar was used for the upper floor.
The living room is on the home's upper floor
"From the estuary, it is two stories but from the land side, it is a single-story," explained Adams.
"The house is inconspicuous from the estuary...