rak architecture has restored a listed 19th-century cottage while adding an extension, both of which enchanted the jury, winning the scheme South West & Wessex Small Project of the Year
2025 RIBA South West & Wessex Award
RIBA South West & Wessex Small Project of the Year
Shire End West, Lyme Regis
rak architecture for Aland Dodkins & Suzy Galina
Contract value:£480,000
GIA: 240m2
Cost per m2: £200
Changing someone’s life through the careful deployment of steel, brick, slate and glass is no mean feat, but that is precisely what has been achieved at Shire End West, just outside Lyme Regis. The modest house extension strikes a clever balance between adjacent spaces that are, respectively, full of light and relatively dark. It is a wonderful demonstration of what good, honest, small-scale architectural design can do for the private individual.
As part of this project, the Grade II-listed, mid-19th-century end-of-terrace property has been simply but beautifully restored and re-presented, in a unique collaboration between rak architecture and its creative clients.
Within that existing property, a carefully considered new stair unlocks a natural reconfiguration of vertical circulation to provide much-improved access to the beautifully proportioned rooms of the upper floors. Complemented by new and sympathetic elements of internal joinery and doors, in addition to well-selected new internal decorations and fittings, the spaces have been tastefully brought back to life.
Then, on an adjacent piece of land, a series of haphazard and unrelated later additions have been removed to make way for a simple new extension, which provides a generous kitchen/dining space plus a new lounge and utility spaces. The form of the extension uses an existing garden wall to link the volumes together in a design that creates a connected but clear articulation of new and old. The arrangement also orientates the spaces to benefit from magnificent views of Cobb Harbour and eastwards along the spectacular Jurassic Coast.
The building works have been very well executed. The distinctive slate cladding was hand-cut by the client and makes a striking feature of both the interior and exterior of the house.
The whole jury was enchanted by this collaboration between the architects and clients, which has produced an outcome that, although small in scale, packs in many fun elements and is a great space to be in. It is a heartwarming project that demonstrates the commitment of private individuals in creating a meaningful and impactful space.
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RIBA Regional Awards 2025 sponsored by Autodesk, EH Smith, Equitone and Velux
Credits
Contractor Joe Mew Development