Broombank, Suffolk

Broombank, Suffolk
SOUP Architects for Sophie Humphreys
GIA 325m²

Emerging from a banked landscape, Broombank’s grey brick walls serve to define the lower level of this indulgent family home, orientated to make best use of the views across to Suffolk’s wetlands. There are a lot of architectural moves going on here, from the grand timber-lined entrance that offers views up and out through a large atrium roof, to smaller details such as the wooden wall that slides away to join the family room with the rest of the house or folding shutters that reveal a bedroom in the atrium space. This opening out and closing down of spaces lends adaptability to the home and allows for changing use configurations.

The judges thought that the ‘careful geometric and material choices were augmented by exemplary control of light and views.’ A sense felt nowhere more strongly, perhaps, than in the main living space, where the glass wall slides away to completely open up the home to the landscape in which it sits.