Heath House is a grade II listed modernist house located in an area of outstanding natural beauty, overlooking the Deben River Estuary in Suffolk. The distinctive house is perched on a plateau above the land, which slopes down to the estuary to the south, surrounded by large pine and deciduous trees that naturally frame the house when viewed from the footpaths along the north and south banks of the creek below.

Designed by architect Hilda Mason for her own residence in 1933, the home was inhabited by her and her sister until Mason's death in 1955. Elected a member of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) in 1925, Hilda Mason was one of the earliest women to achieve this distinction and is notable as one of only seven female architects who designed listed buildings between World War I and World War II.

To inform our approach to the building's adaptation, we prepared a comprehensive appraisal of both the architecture and its architect. After a pre-application consultation with the local authority, we successfully obtained permission to remove inappropriate, poor-quality modern interventions and to introduce replacement extensions, including a modern living room, study, and gym. Our research of historic archives also enabled us to reintroduce lost historic features, such as columns and windows.

Accessibility was a key aspect of the client's brief, influencing changes to the floor plan, the introduction of a lift, and the design of the external landscaping.

We adopted a holistic approach to improve the building's energy consumption. The entire house underwent a low-energy retrofit strategy that included:

- 100mm wood fiber external wall insulation throughout

- Replacement of all single-glazed windows with slim-framed double glazing

- A fully insulated ground floor slab incorporating underfloor heating

- Upgrading all flat roofs to meet current insulation standards

- The introduction of solar panels

The landscape was extensively redesigned by RHS Chelsea Gold Medal winner Thomas Hoblyn. Analysis of the existing landscape informed a site wide masterplan, which aimed to improve the existing setting by removing inappropriate species of plants, hedges, and trees. A rewilding programme was then implemented, which included the planting of mature trees and the introduction of native hedges, grasses, and plants.

Project Value: Undisclosed

Photography: Peter Cook

Landscape Design: Thomas Hoblyn Garden Design