Friars Halt

 

Drawing inspiration from the tall, singular volumes of the ubiquitous Oast houses local to the area, this studio in Battle, near Hastings, comprises a tall timber framed volume with a semi-buried brick base. The simple ‘oast-like’ form is distorted, skewed towards the north light and away from the neighbouring lane and adjacent house. A tall, seven metre high timber-framed glazed elevation opens the studio to the garden, whilst the brick base houses a double garage accessed from the lane to the rear.

 

The pyramidal roof is designed as three composite plates, tied with steel to allow the upper volume to rest on 4 steel posts. A band of frameless glazing separates the roof from the base. Materials are a handmade ‘tudor’ stock brick burnt to almost black, and reclaimed clay peg tiles (similar in tone to the brick). The timber windows are stained black to bring a consistent dark tone to the exterior, whilst on the interior finishes are pale -  whitewashed timber rafters and sarking boards.