Lewes House

Architects
Sandy Rendel

Year
2014/2015

GIA
257 square metres

Build cost
£770K

Location
Lewes, East Sussex

Located on the bank of the river Ouse in Lewes, East Sussex, the property is well known locally as 'the rusty house', it is also known as 'the corten riverhouse' or the ‘Riverside Shed’.

Built as a family home, the main body of the house is a simple two-storey pitched roof structure, but with a ridge line that is carved away to break down the building's scale and reflect the cliff contours behind.

With a Corten cladding installation, the gables and handmade ash-glazed brickwork, traditional to the town, help it to tie in well with the street.

The rugged in-situ concrete retaining walls of the riverbank morph into slightly more refined board-marked concrete on the ground floor, which gives way to Corten rainscreen cladding above.

The property is striking due to its modern industrial design and simple inventive moves such as reversing the way the Corten sheets are hung to create a subtle play between openness & solidity.

The project was featured on the TV program, Grand Designs Series 16. It was also selected to feature in the Grand Designs at 25 book, compiled by Kevin McCloud himself. 

The property has gained recognition for its innovative and amazing use of materials. The wrap around window on the ground floor provides outstanding views across the river and of the natural landscape.

Featured in

Awards

  • South Downs National Park Design Award Residential Category 2019 

  • Homebuilding and Renovating Best Residential Design Award 2016

  • RIBA South East Award

  • RIBA National Award for ‘Individual House’ 2017.

  • Sunday Times British Homes Award 2016 for One-off House or Extension (2,500-5,000sq ft)

  • The Friends of Lewes Design Awards 2016 for making 'a significant contribution to the enhancement of the character of Lewes'

  • Sussex Heritage Trust 'Small Scale Residential Award'

  • Shortlisted for Grand Designs House of the Year 2016

Quote from the property owner, Stephen Yeomans, on Grand Designs Magazine Online -

‘We had such an amazing builder and he put a really detailed programme together,’ says Stephen. ‘We were originally told the Corten weathered steel would take eight weeks to deliver, but it actually took around 24. Yet instead of overrunning, our builder adapted the schedule to work around this. It was his flexibility and initiative that got us through. Also, getting the right suppliers on board and having a fixed-price contract really paid off.’

Quote from Kevin McCloud on Grand Designs Season 16 Episode 7 -

‘This has been an ensemble project curated by Stephen, softened by Anita, built beautifully by Peter, with the expertise of engineer Stephen Evans, and the genius of the Architect Sandy. It is a truly remarkable building.

It is a beautifully designed and exquisitely crafted rustic metal box, and in the world of architecture, that makes all the difference’.

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