First Two Villas Break Ground At The Sanctuary March 10, 2023

Villas 7 & 8 have broken ground at The Sanctuary today! The first of the three and four bedroom homes are set complete in 14 months. 

 

The Sanctuary is a private collection of homes in the heart of Turks & Caicos. A residential community that offers a quiet retreat in an ever-popular destination. Combining sensitive lakefront architecture with responsive building technology. The Sanctuary provides a gentle, yet modern approach to life on the islands. Located on a peninsula overlooking Flamingo Lake, this is a unique natural habitat. Inspired by the panoramic beauty and serene atmosphere of the lake, we have devised a unique and innovative villa development, that is harmonious with the undulating terrain, natural textures and earthy tones of the site. 

We wanted to create homes that have a strong sense of belonging to the peninsula. Each villa is carefully tailored to fit with topography, optimise views, capture breeze and provide space for enjoyment of the sun and shade. The three and four bedroom Lakehouses each have over 125’ of parcel frontage. The Lakehouses seek to unify a beautiful setting with a progressive lifestyle. With interchangeable layout options, including unique integrated workspaces, residents can choose a home that better suits their work, or leisure, needs. 

Set over two floors, these three and four bedroom properties have been carefully designed to allow outdoor living throughout the day, with a series of interconnected shaded terraces. Interior spaces are principally orientated to the main pool and the waters beyond.

Read More

Atrium House Receives Planning Consent March 3, 2023

Atrium House has received Planning Consent today. We are delighted that this house can now move to site. A builder will be selected and work is expected to commence in May 2023.

Atrium House is located on the south side of Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands. Here the land is just 3’ above sea level and can be vulnerable to flooding during hurricane storm surges.

The terrain is pitted ironshore, with highly resilient flora that survives in small pockets and cracks in the rocks. It is a robust and beautiful landscape to the trained eye. The sheltered bay also features islets that dot the horizon, that are nesting spots for unique marine birdlife.

Our clients’ brief was for a single storey house that embraced the natural landscape. They wanted to maximise external living and minimize the scale of bathrooms and bedrooms. Their aesthetic desire was described as ‘natural and earthy’ and ‘nordic meets Caribbean’.

We have designed a house that is raised 10’ above the landscape and with landscape at its heart. The internal accommodation is contained in a living/kitchen/dining wing to the east and a bedroom wing to the west. These are separated by a 33’ x 33’ atrium garden. A guest bunk-room and pool plug in from the north and south.

Covered verandahs wrap all four external sides under ‘stretched’ pitched roofs. The internal atrium also has a covered verandahs under flat roofs that provide differing degrees of shade. The natural terrain and plant life will be left untouched where possible beneath this raised volume. Underneath we have located a laundry, garden store, paddleboard store and water tank.

Our intent has been to touch the earth as lightly as possible. We have also sought to design a home that can harness natural breezes (through and under) and provide for good solar protection over and above using air-conditioning. It is hoped too that plant and animal life will continue to nest under and be at the heart of the home, forming a tranquil island get-away for the owners and their guests.

Read More

Derwent Valley Villa Wins 2022 Record House & RIBA Regional Awards May 9, 2022

Our Derwent Valley Villa project in the UK has won three awards in the past month.

The US publication Architectural Record awarded the house a ‘Record House 2022’ in its April issue. The house was one of only 6 internationally to be awarded and so this is a hugely significant award, with previous esteemed winners being Olson Kundig, Rick Joy, Bates Masi, Dust Architects, Herbst Architects, Manuel Cervantes and Shigeru Ban.

In the UK, we have also been awarded an RIBA East Midlands Regional Award, whilst our client was also awarded the RIBA East Midlands Client of the Year Award. The house has now moved on to the shortlist for an RIBA National Award and RIBA House of the Year 2022.

Read More

Elliptical Waffle Pavilion Nears Completion Aug. 24, 2021

Our 'Elliptical Waffle Pavilion' is nearing completion. A shading structure and seating platform for watching tennis and a place to sit and relax after a match. We proposed a structure with a diagonal shading grid to sit in alignment to the east-west axis, so providing best sun shading at early-to-mid morning and mid-to-late afternoon.

 

Cut into an elliptical form, the structure then nestles neatly adjacent to an existing arcing driveway. The shading structure is set onto an elliptical base which creates an arced and slightly stepped amphitheatre for sitting either on cushioned loungers or on a cast bench. There is space for additional seating for larger gatherings as well as a drinks fridge and storage for tennis equipment.

The dia-grid ‘waffle’ structure is braced by an arced rear retaining wall which together aim to provide a better resilience under hurricane force winds than a free-standing rectilinear form. The pavilion will sit aloft a native planting scheme and be illuminated at night - forming an elegant and dynamic focal point on entry to the property. The timber structure has been made by TC Millwork and the base by EY Contractors.

Read More

The Sanctuary On Flamingo Lake Launches June 9, 2021

Our latest multi-villa development called The Sanctuary, has launched today.

The Sanctuary is a private collection of 9 homes in the heart of Turks & Caicos. A residential community that offers a quiet retreat in an ever-popular destination. Combining sensitive lakefront architecture with responsive building technology.

The Sanctuary provides a gentle, yet modern approach to life on the islands. Located on a peninsula overlooking Flamingo Lake, this is a unique natural habitat. Inspired by the panoramic beauty and serene atmosphere of the lake, we have devised a unique and innovative villa development, that is harmonious with the undulating terrain, natural textures and earthy tones of the site. We wanted to create homes that have a strong sense of belonging to the peninsula. Each villa is carefully tailored to fit with topography, optimise views, capture breeze and provide space for enjoyment of the sun and shade.

The Lakehouses hug the shore of the peninsula, giving access to a promontory of unique amenities. The three and four bedroom Lakehouses each have over 125’ of parcel frontage. As well as accommodating the main residences, the low density site provides opportunities for ancillary building options. The Lakehouses seek to unify a beautiful setting with a progressive lifestyle. With interchangeable layout options, including unique integrated workspaces, residents can choose a home that better suits their work, or leisure, needs. Set over two floors, these three and four bedroom properties have been carefully designed to allow outdoor living throughout the day, with a series of interconnected shaded terraces. Interior spaces are principally orientated to the main pool and the waters beyond. The Lakehouses offer a sustainable and enduring property; a timeless waterfront architecture.

www.thesanctuary.tc

Read More

Tropical Modernism Study Trip Nov. 2, 2020

Lee Halligan has spent two weeks on a study trip in southern Florida exploring some of the mid-century gems of ‘Tropical Modernism’ - along with some modern-day examples that stem from the genre. Highlights included the work of Paul Rudolph and Victor Lundy in Sarasota. Both were pioneers of this sub-group of regional modernism in the 1940’s through to 60’s and spearheaded the famed Sarasota School style.

 

Rudolph’s groundbreaking home designs such as ‘The Cocoon House’ and ‘Umbrella House’ demonstrate the unrivalled possibilities of mid-century America’s optimism for forward-thinking design in the natural peripheries of its booming postwar cities. Lundy’s designs chose to eschew the trend for hidden flat roofs with soaring, exposed and amplified curved forms that pushed structural limits to the forefront of his designs. A common thread through both architects’ works was that of an experimentation with wall and roof forms to mediate the strong tropical sun, manage the deluges of tropical rain and capture the Gulf Coast’s precious breezes. They each designed buildings prior to the dawn of air-conditioning that were expertly adapted to suit the region’s sub-tropical climate, whilst at the same time connect elegantly with its gracious landscapes.

Read More

Bay House Starts On Site Nov. 1, 2020

Bay House has started on site with Waratah Construction breaking ground last month for our Canadian clients. The design creates a dual aspect living environment which optimises views to the beach and also to the indigenous palm-covered interior of the site.

We have organised the primary accommodation into three front-to-back glazed ‘bays’, which allows for unencumbered cross ventilation using pocket sliders to open up the building entirely. These living spaces are held between two large-format hardwood-clad ‘spines’ - which contain the circulation spaces and the secondary accommodation of bathrooms, storage and vertical service risers. The house is due to be complete by Christmas 2021.

Read More

Canal House One Submitted For Planning June 30, 2020

The first of two new Canal Houses has been submitted for Planning Approval.

On an inland waterway on the island of Providenciales, Turks and Caicos, this project comprises a 8000sqft family home and a second villa of 4500sqft to be marketed for sale next door.

The two houses have been designed as a unique and distinct enclave at the end of a quiet residential lane - a cohesive pair, with subtle differentiators. Each home is comprised of two low-slung, linear wings that step to form ‘S-shaped’ plans. The two homes nestle together in a relaxed manner along two canal frontages - jostling side-by-side like boats tethered loosely at dock.

Both are topped by over-sized and over-sailing roof planes, rendered in concrete. The larger house uses its large roof slab to conceal a pitched roof, whilst the smaller house tilts its slabs to create mono-pitch volumes internally - pitched roofs were a stipulation of local planning for the area.

They are both predominantly single storey, but the larger house (on the corner site of two canal systems), has a small upper level that acts as a ‘crows-nest’ for the master bedroom that captures panoramic views and glimpses of the sea. Both share a strong, robust and elemental language of thick slabs held up above a simple, laconic rhythm of solid white blocks and apertures of glass.

Read More

Peninsula Villas Launched May 4, 2020

Our new villa designs for the Peninsula at Emerald Estate have launched! The site is a peninsula at the far easterly end of the world-famous Grace Bay Beach, Turks and Caicos. It is seen from all sides and angles and from almost every mode of transport; by foot whilst walking along the beach, by car as you approach the peninsula and also by boat as you turn out of the Leeward Channel, heading to Pine Cay and beyond.

 

The villas will be viewed ‘in the round’. Conceptually, we began by considering the project as a group of pavilions, set within lush tropical landscaping. We took inspiration from some of the historic Bajan vernacular homes, which have deep set windows and large overhanging roofs, protecting the interiors from direct sunlight.

These villas have a rigorous contemporary upper level with a large overhanging roof, providing solar shading to the bedrooms and also deep, shaded, wraparound balconies. This upper floor has a rigorous, graphic internal layout. Large and dramatic rooms with full height windows capture 180 degree vistas of the ocean and the protected national parks of Little Water Cay and Mangrove Cay.

We imagined the ground floor plan as fingers of accommodation pushing out into the landscape, where outdoor spaces are just as important as the internal environment. This fluid plan sits under the body of the upper floor, which cantilevers over it to create pockets of highly functional outdoor living space - protecting the inhabitants from the the sun and also the bad weather.

www.emerald-estate.com

Read More

New Design : Elevated Beach House March 30, 2020

This new project is for a private home sited in the Turks and Caicos Islands, on an extraordinary expanse of bermed beach in a subtly shifting dune landscape. We sought to design a modern, robust, elevated home that would withstand (and not disturb) the natural movement of sands whilst creating a simple beach house with a rustic charm - an ‘Elevated Beach House’.We wanted the home to appear effortlessly suspended, without fuss or complication, to allow the shifting sands of the beach to flow beneath.

We also wanted to ensure that the house appeared as a modest beach home, despite its large size and achieving three storeys of accommodation.

The landscape flows under the house on all sides to a lower ground level of +5’ above sea level. The driveway sweeps underneath the house for arrival by car. Guest arrival is via a long concrete ramp though a richly vegetated landscape. A dramatic entry sequence that also ensures that the main living level remains connected to the front garden.

The Level 1 volume is formed of horizontal board marked concrete with colourations in the concrete echoing that of the sand on the beach itself. We have surrounded the upper volume in a green roof, so that the experience of the Grand Master would be similar to that of being at beach level - with wrap-around terraces meeting a dune grass landscape, visually extending to the sea. The Level 2 volume is clad in vertical timber and reads as a simple ‘pavilion’ on the roof.

Read More

South Bank Masterplan Imagery Launched Jan. 14, 2020

The aerial imagery for our South Bank project has now been launched.

Designed in its entirety by Blee Halligan, this complex masterplan is for a collection of 19 Oceanfront, 19 Lagoon, 38 Boathouses and 12 condominiums. Set on a virgin site of 32 acres, the project aims to integrate homes sensitively into 4 unique natural environments; an ironshore, a dune, a lagoon and a peninsula.

Each design is borne from the microgeographies present on the site and conceived for those with an adventurous spirit and passion for the ocean. Each house typology has a unique relationship with the water and the land; the Banks and Shoal Villas are sited on a rugged ironshore coastline and have dramatic swimming pools that allow residents to swim out to a cliff edge.

The Dune Villas hunker a three storey villa behind the dune apex and nestle organically shaped pools into the dune hollows. A man-made lagoon with beach has been created at the centre of the scheme which allows a calmer enjoyment of the water for our Lagoon Houses. These sit raised above a sandy shore at the water’s edge and are inspired by the perched positioning of Malibu beach houses. The Boathouses have individual boat docks fronting a marina and are clustered around a central shady community park with a shared swimming pool.

Infrastructure works project broke ground in Summer 2019 and our first 2 villas commence in Spring 2020. www.livesouthbank.com

Read More

Windbreak Villa Reaches Completion Oct. 21, 2019

Our Windbreak Villa has now completed. The site, in a kiteboarding paradise, has inspired us to create a residence that puts you in close proximity to the unique environment of Long Bay Beach and the specific qualities of this coastal dune. As if chiseled and crafted from the geology of the site itself, the architectural form is designed to exploit the onshore trade winds and sun path; to provide shelter but also framed views.

The building is tailored to the site topography and sits effortlessly in the natural environment. The design responds to the protected primary dune system, by positioning courtyard bedrooms behind the dune with kitchen, living and bedroom areas facing the leeward side.

A number of sheltered outdoor spaces within staggered, groyne-like walls, offer protection from the wind and sun whilst also framing wide views out to sea. Inspired by the porous coral rock formations found along the bay, ‘pockets’ of indoor and outdoor living space overlap in and around the stacked monolithic walls and roof planes that characterise its stepped and tiered form.

The property has been named ‘UXUE Villa’ by our clients and is available for rent through TKCA Vacation Rentals: www.tkcavacationrentals.com/vacation-rentals/uxue-villa-turks-caicos/

Read More

South Bank Launched June 30, 2019

Our new multi-home community called ‘South Bank’ has officially launched. Working again with our client Windward Developments we are creating a new island community, borne out of our shared passion for the natural beauty of the land and ocean on the south-side of Providenciales, Turks and Caicos.

Five house typologies inspired by the specific topography and geology of the rugged natural terrain have been developed: Boathouses, Lagoon Villas, Shoal Villas, Bank Villas & Dune Villas. These are complemented by new waterside landscapes and park areas along with a new marina-fronting apartment block and communal clubhouse. The project is starting on site in April 2019.

Read More

Windbreak Villa Reaches Topping Out Stage May 28, 2019

Our Windbreak Villa has reached topping out stage. The masonry shell and pool structure is now complete, enabling an impression of the stepped form of the house to be fully appreciated within its context. The completed house design will sit sensitively into a protected primary dune system and its stepping plan and section will buffer the strong prevailing north-easterly winds.

The house will provide respite from the winds whilst also framing wide views out to sea and will be an ideal location for kite-board enthusiasts who want to enjoy the perfect boarding conditions of Long Bay beach. Construction is proceeding at a good pace and is due for completion in Autumn 2019.

Read More

Windbreak Villa Granted Approval Aug. 9, 2018

Building Permit has been granted for this six bedroom home, designed to respond to the coastal conditions of the site and to put visitors in close contact with the natural beauty of the local marine environment. This beach is a kiteboarding paradise with pristine, powder soft sand leading to the expansive shallow reef of the Caicos Bank, with steady winds throughout the year. 

The design responds to the protected primary dune system, by positioning courtyard bedrooms behind the dune with kitchen, living and bedroom areas facing the leeward side. A number of sheltered outdoor spaces within staggered, groyne-like walls, offer protection from the wind and sun whilst also framing wide views out to sea. Inspired by the porous coral rock formations found along the bay, ‘pockets’ of indoor living space overlap in and around the stacked monolithic wall and roof planes that characterise its stepped and tiered form. Construction is due to start in early October 2018.

Read More

RIBA National & East Awards 2018 Winner ! June 21, 2018

Five Acre Barn has won three RIBA awards; a National, Regional and RIBA East Small Project of the Year. The jury commented: "Everywhere the finishes are simple and the mid-century furniture, artwork and light fittings bring a Shoreditch-style to Suffolk.

What is most surprising, and pleasing given the standard of workmanship, is that the project has largely been a self-build. The owners not only installed the cedar shingle cladding themselves, but completed most of the joinery and decoration. The scale and budget might be modest, but this imaginative building punches well above its weight".

Read More

Blue Cay Canal Opens Jan. 3, 2018

The Blue Cay Canal is now officially open. The milestone achievement was marked with an opening party on December 12th. The centrepiece of the new yachting-focused community is 130ft long by 85ft wide by circa 13ft deep. 

The canal enables the scheme's inhabitants to gain direct water-based access to the Leeward Channel and out towards the protected nature reserve of Mangrove Cay. The first four owners on the site have enjoyed their Christmas paddle-boarding, jet-skiing and sailing out into the channel and beautiful island chains beyond.

Read More

A Desert Modern New Year Jan. 2, 2018

Director Lee Halligan has spent Christmas researching the Desert Modernism of Palm Springs, USA. The architecture is some 50-70 years old but standing the test of time beautifully in the bone-dry conditions of the Coachella Valley. The pioneering and powerful works of architects Richard Neutra, Albert Frey, E. Stewart Williams and Donald Wexler will be at the forefront of our minds and inspiring our work on both sides of the Atlantic in 2018. A Happy New Year to all!

Read More

New Project : Casa Cliffhanger Oct. 11, 2017

We have recently been commissioned to produce a villa design for a wonderful hill-top site overlooking a spectacular stretch of ironshore coastline in the Turks and Caicos Islands. The site is located on a peninsula of land at the end of a road that twists, turns and switchbacks on a beautiful journey through hillocks of indigenous landscape, with glimpses of inland salinas and the iridescent turquoise sea.  

 

The working title, ’Casa Cliffhanger’ reminded us of the dual brief for a solid, homely space to live (Casa), combined with an element of daring modernity which exploits the natural assets of the site (Cliffhanger). The main entertaining spaces, terraces and pools will straddle and embrace both of these living conditions and capture the best of the site's 180 ĚŠ panoramic views. 

Read More

AJ Awards 2017 Finalist : Five Acre Barn Sept. 26, 2017

Five Acre Barn is a finalist for the Leisure Project of the Year in the first AJ Architecture Awards, 2017. We met the judges last week on site - luckily the sun was shining which meant we could linger in the grounds, to show how the project is set into the rural landscape and bedding in with the new landscape gardens.

 

The judges were very positive about the project and particularly enjoyed the gallery space - our super-sized plywood lined hallway that will showcase the work of local artists. The winner will be announced at the awards dinner on 7th December at the Grosvenor House Hotel, London.

Read More

Five Acre Barn Photographed Aug. 21, 2017

The cedar shingles have started to weather down to a silver grey, so it was the ideal moment to capture Five Acre Barn before the Autumn weather sets in. The project has been entered into the new Architects Journal Awards in the Leisure category and we have experienced a spike in website traffic since the project appeared in the Guardian and on Dezeen this week. 

This project was part self-build, and is a testament to the determination of our clients, Bruce and David, who worked with endless good humour to finish the project to an incredibly high standard. They even made the sofa seat cushions and curtains at the point in the project when most of us would have just gone online and done an Ikea order! We are confident that Five Acre Barn is going to be a great success and we are delighted to have made a contribution to the burgeoning local contemporary architecture scene in Suffolk. For reservations go to: www.fiveacrebarn.co.uk

Read More

New Design : Sink Hole Cabin May 31, 2017

The location for this guesthouse is a stunning landscape with panoramic views of a sound dotted with small islands and glimpses of a beautiful arcing bay. The ground is undulating with scaevola, dry shrub, cactus and mini silver palms pitted against a limestone terrain with sink holes. There is beauty in the azure blue of the water and in the rawness of the rocky ground. Our immediate thought was to tread lightly here.

Any construction must try to leave the ground untouched where possible whilst providing space in which to enjoy the setting and optimise the views. The concept of a delicate cabin sitting above the terrain is enticing, yet the negatives of timber construction in the saline environment and the prospect of hurricanes lead us to think differently, whilst trying to attain the qualities of a cabin ‘held aloft’. 

We have proposed a concept of a ‘cradle’ of stone walls that hold a lighter structure within. The walls could be the only thing bearing on the ground with the slabs spanning between them. This structural solution is in some way like the sink-holes that delicately cradle loose plant-matter inthe crevices of the site. The roof appears to float above the stone walls and is slightly depressed in a ‘butterfly-roof’ formation to enhance the experience of the interiors opening-up toward the panoramic views. The same strategy is applied to the plan - with the ‘pinch’ at the centre of the east-facing facade amplifying the experience of entering and then being drawn to the landscape views. This solution was also adopted to reduce the apparent size of the building by it receding in scale at the middle from a number of key views.

Read More