The Dune House is a beautiful reinvention and reinterpretation of the English seaside dwelling. It is a building with complex roofscape geometry while still remaining distinctively contemporary. Designed by Norwegian firm Jarmund / Vigsnæs AS Architects, the residence is situated on the southern edge of the village of Thorpeness, on the Suffolk coast of England. The home has replaced an existing building on the site and will be used as a holiday house for rental.

From the architects: “To get a planning permission it was important to relate to the existing, typical, British seaside strip of houses. The roofscape, the bedroom floor, somehow plays with the formal presence of these buildings, and also brings into mind a romantic remembrance of holidays at bed-and-breakfasts while traveling through the UK.

The ground floor is contrasting this by its lack of relationship to the architecture of the top floor. The living area and the terraces are set into the dunes in order to protect it from the strong winds, and opens equally in all directions to allow for 360 degree views. The corners can be opened by sliding doors; this will emphasize the floating appearance of the top floor.

While the materiality of the ground floor; concrete, glass, aluminum, relates to the masses of the ground, the upper floor is a construction made of timber planks giving a nautical feel that echoes the existing gables and seaside huts found in the area.”

Visit the website of Jarmund / Vigsnæs AS Architectshere.

Photos: Nils Petter Dale