Creek House
Creek House is a private bespoke new
build house located in Bosham, West
Sussex, completed by Winchester
based architects AR Design Studio. The
clients, passionate about design and
longstanding active members of the
community, came to AR Design Studio
in 2015 with a vision for their life-time
home in the village.
The clients saw potential in this
prime location on the periphery of
the Bosham estuary, and despite
difficult planning constraints, the
client’s contemporary vision combined
with AR Design Studio’s experience
set out to achieve a sensitive design
appropriate to the idyllic setting.
The site is set within the Chichester
Harbour Area of Outstanding Natural
Beauty and Bosham Conservation
Area, striving to protect and enhance
the village’s traditional character and
significant history. The team at AR,
with an extensive water front portfolio,
worked closely with both Chichester
Harbour Conservancy and the planning
department to achieve a sensitive
design, but with the unconventional
design and exposed site, the scheme
attracted its share of public attention.
The Creek House subtly draws
influence from the geometries and
materials of the sensitive context
of Chichester, whilst achieving a
contemporary design that undoubtedly
challenges the vernacular of the area.
8
The proposal now sits along the
estuary alongside an architecturally
acclaimed house designed by the
renowned architect, Michael Manser,
setting contemporary precedence for
the future.
The unique form was derived from the
Bosham vernacular; the design team
carried out a series of sketch studies
analysing the harbour, establishing a
collage of typically traditional pitched
roofs. This was then abstracted into
one form, the visual movement of the
silhouette merging with the Bosham
skyline. This movement is also
mimicked in the water, the estuary
being tidal and therefore the prospect
from the water’s edge always changing.