Foamlea

Contemporary extension and refurbishment in a sensitive, dramatic coastal setting

Foamlea is perched on the cliffs at Morthoe near Woolacombe in North Devon. The property enjoys amazing and unrestricted views of the heritage coastline.

Our clients asked us to develop designs to extend and refurbish their new family home. Crucially, they wanted to respect Foamlea’s dramatic location and retain its connection to the landscape. Our designs needed to minimise visual impact while rejuvenating the property.

Foamlea Office for Contemporary Rural Architecture Exterior 1

A contemporary single storey L-shaped extension gently rests against the existing property, blending with the house’s traditional. The extension is discreet, contextually appropriate and carefully integrated into the sloping site. We used the existing terracing of the site to limit visual prominence whilst utilising additional soft landscaping to increase screening.

This new space provides modern open-plan kitchen, dining, and living areas that were lacking in the existing house.

External finishes combine local materials with contemporary detailing. These include hung slate cladding to upper level, bronze and grey windows and doors all set into stone walling with feature precast eaves details to provide further refinement and weather protection. A green roof and minimal balustrading further settle the building into the landscape. 

Glazing is concentrated on the west elevations for daylight and views, recessed to reduce reflectivity and overheating. Technical measures include high performance construction through a fabric first approach as well as passive design to control the negative impacts of excessive solar gain and wind driven rain. 

Foamlea Office for Contemporary Rural Architecture Exterior 2 Foamlea Office for Contemporary Rural Architecture Exterior 3 Foamlea Office for Contemporary Rural Architecture Exterior 4 Foamlea Office for Contemporary Rural Architecture Interior
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