Architecture update

Looking to the sea

Coastal views inspired this single-storey 170sqm new-build in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) near Lyme Regis, Dorset. Coffey Architects’ design, for a couple with grown-up children, includes three staggered sections wrapped in larch batons and local blue lias stone. This arrangement enables the house to nestle discreetly into the hillside despite being 40 per cent bigger than the dilapidated property it replaces. At the back, three bedrooms and a study are arranged behind an open-plan living area that looks out to sea. The project cost around £1.5m, including landscaping and a yurt. (coffeyarchitects.com)

The high life

Agata Toromanoff ’s new book, Amazing Mountain Cabins (Luster, £40, out 9 October), features 30 homes in Europe and North America and focuses on the architects’ visions, the materials used, the views captured and the emotions evoked. They can all be rented and have hiking trails nearby. (accartbooks.com)

Upward mobility

Homeowner Sonia Jacobs increased the size of her 148sqm first-floor flat in an Edwardian house in north London with a redesign by architect Richard Gill. Moving a staircase to create an open-plan kitchen and living area alongside two bedrooms, he also rebuilt the roof and converted the loft to provide two more bedrooms. Sonia’s new two-storey maisonette, which measures almost 193sqm and cost £2,100 per sqm, includes a sunny yellow kitchen island and upgraded elements including double-glazed windows and doors, new roof and wall insulation, smart technology and low-energy appliances. (paularcherdesign.co.uk)

Piece by piece

Architect Kika Camasmie chose modular construction for a family beach house in Porto Seguro, Brazil, because it was sustainable, quick and economical. Seven wooden modules, made 20km from the site, created a kitchen, living room, terrace and four bedrooms. The loadbearing beams are eucalyptus timber, while the walls and roof are pine. Leftover wood was used to make furniture. The 378sqm project