Architectural Intervention
Gundreda Road, Lewes, East Sussex, Planning Permission Granted
Concept Design, Architecture, Detail Design, Master planning & Landscaping
Completed Summer 2024.
Situated high above the River Ouse with wide-reaching views toward Ashdown Forest, this architectural intervention brings clarity, flow and purpose back to the eastern elevation of a Lewes home. The original ground and first-floor bay windows—an awkward combination of UPVC units and heavy brickwork—blocked the outlook, restricted movement and limited any meaningful connection to the landscape.
REAFE Studio proposed a singular architectural response: a blackened timber-clad reveal that unites both levels and reframes the view with sculptural precision. This contemporary envelope restores coherence to the elevation while amplifying the building’s relationship with its setting.
Within the reveal, bespoke steel-framed glazing opens the upper floor to the horizon, while a matching slimline sliding door transforms the ground level. To support the steeply dropping site, new foundations and a tied structural steel frame were introduced, forming a stable base for layered softwood, insulation and a refined hardwood outer frame.
To complete the intervention, we designed a new elevated ground-floor deck extending directly from the opening—paired with custom steel handrails and balustrades. This addition not only enhances safety and proportion but also dramatically improves the flow from interior to exterior, allowing the home to spill naturally into its surroundings and establishing a more generous, usable outdoor threshold.
Spanning concept development, architecture, detail design, master planning and landscaping, the project resolves technical complexity with quiet confidence—elevating daily living through crafted proportion and a strengthened connection to place.
