This award-winning conversion of a dilapidated Napoleonic sea defence tower into a contemporary home studio retreat is highly respectful of both architectural and cultural heritage and environmental setting. A Scheduled Monument in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, it took a committed multi-disciplinary team to ensure that the design vision remained intact throughout two years of complex planning negotiations.

The existing fabric, geometry, and form were key design drivers. A new lightweight curving roof extension of steel and plywood, prefabricated off-site using computer generated cutting patterns, is lightly tethered to the existing structure and set back to minimise visual impact. A deep curved skirt of frameless glass floats between old and new and provides stunning 360-degree views of the coastal landscape.