Silver House

Favorite of the day for this house signed the excellent architecture studio Hyde + Hyde. Heading to the Gower Peninsula in South West Wales, this home was built for a family who had left London to get closer to nature and be quiet.

The site chosen for the house is placed on the top of a limestone cliff with views towards Oxwich Point and the Bristol Channel. The building's design aims to optimize exposure to views while making reference to the vernacular architecture of the area. The elevation is done in layers, the latter consist of different materials that break down the overall volume. A stone pedestal with rooms on the ground floor provides a solid base for the upper floor covered with wood. The windows of the ground floor doors sit cantilevered on a reflecting pool that collects rainwater from the roofs above. The architects used exposed wooden beams placed over the stone wall, which support the upper level and extend to create balconies and thus shelters for two cars, a DeLorean and a Land Rover. A recording studio is located in the basement. The first floor hosts the main living areas and a master bedroom. At this level, the building is divided into two distinct forms. The division of the upper floor is accentuated by the central placement of an external staircase.