Castle High by Hyde + Hyde Architects
Castle High is a contemporary coastal farmhouse located in Pembrokeshire National Park, Wales, United Kingdom. Designed by Hyde + Hyde Architects and completed in 2021, the property redefined an existing farmhouse that was in poor condition, thermally inefficient, and no longer fit for purpose. The innovative design, which offers dramatic views of the Irish Sea, combines old and new materials sensitive to the natural surroundings.
Responding To Brief
The owners approached Hyde + Hyde in 2010, as their existing farmhouse was in poor condition, thermally inefficient and no longer fit for purpose. Where this house had replaced the site’s original stone farmhouse, its random position had left a previously functional, sheltered courtyard open to harsh weather, slowly falling into disrepair.
Sensitively Formed Home Inspiring Freedom
Central to Hyde + Hyde’s design is the project’s ability to reframe the courtyard again, completing the horseshoe shape of the existing outbuildings with a contemporary new wing. The new home is sensitive in form and scale, combining old and new in an arrangement that respects and responds to the site’s location, climate and character.
Forming A Home
The ground floor contains a generous open-plan living space, with inset glazing providing views both to the courtyard and the sea. At first floor level, all 4 bedrooms frame commanding views towards the Irish Sea.
Employing
Innovative Materials
The project’s innovative use of white fair-faced concrete draws inspiration from the weathering of pebbles on the nearby shoreline and provides a robust, long-term solution for creating a structure with the solidity to withstand the harsh weather of this exposed site.
Attuned Over Time
For the clients, Castle High was a real labour of love. Executed as a self-build project over the past 10 years, as their time and budgetary constraints allowed, the owner worked closely with Hyde + Hyde to embrace building methods and sustainable technology as these evolved.
Photography courtesy of Hyde + Hyde Architects
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