black timber house Archives - HAPA Architects

Behind the Design: Black Timber House

Hapa Architects — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 15:33:29 +0000

Behind the Design: Black Timber House

Black Timber House began with a simple ambition: to create a contemporary family home that sat comfortably within the landscape of the South Downs National Park while achieving exceptional environmental performance.

The site, located at the end of a quiet country lane in Rodmell, offered stunning views across the Downs and surrounding meadows. From the outset, our aim was to create a building that felt connected to its setting, responding to both the landscape and the changing seasons.

Responding to the Site

Rather than imposing a building onto the site, we looked for ways to embed the house within its surroundings. Large picture windows frame carefully selected views, while the overall form helps create sheltered outdoor spaces and a strong relationship between inside and outside.

The house is composed of two stacked volumes, creating overhangs and covered areas that add depth and shadow to the architecture.

A Carefully Considered Material Palette

The striking black exterior is created using charred English larch, finished using the traditional Yakisugi method. Beyond its visual impact, the process improves durability and weather resistance while celebrating the natural character of the timber.

The timber is complemented by slate roofing, natural copper rainwater goods and timber-lined reveals, creating a material palette that will age gracefully over time.

Designing for Energy Performance

Sustainability was fundamental to the project from the beginning.

The house employs passive solar design principles, excellent levels of insulation, airtight construction, solar PV panels, MVHR and an Air Source Heat Pump. Together these measures contributed to an EPC rating of A and significantly reduced the building’s operational energy demand.

The Outcome

Black Timber House demonstrates how contemporary architecture can be both environmentally responsible and deeply connected to its landscape. The project was recognised with both a RIBA South East Award and Small Project of the Year Award, reflecting the success of the design approach and the quality of the finished home.

View the full project here: Black Timber House

Related Projects:
Old Rectory Cottage
The Brick Barn
Fairview

Related Services:
New Build Homes
Sustainable Homes

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What We Learned Designing Low-Energy Homes in Sussex

Hapa Architects — Thu, 04 Jun 2026 13:08:41 +0000

What We Learned Designing Low-Energy Homes in Sussex

As architects, we believe sustainability should be considered from the very beginning of a project rather than added as an afterthought. Over recent years we have designed and delivered a number of highly efficient homes across Sussex, each responding to its site, context and the needs of its occupants while significantly reducing energy demand.

Projects such as Black Timber House, Old Rectory Cottage, Fairview and The Brick Barn have given us valuable insight into what makes a genuinely low-energy home successful.

Start with the Building Fabric

One of the most important lessons is that sustainability begins with the building itself. High levels of insulation, excellent airtightness and careful detailing are often more important than any single piece of technology. A well-designed building envelope reduces energy demand throughout the life of the home, creating a comfortable internal environment while lowering running costs.

Passive Solar Design Matters

Understanding the path of the sun is fundamental. By positioning glazing carefully, we can maximise natural daylight and winter solar gain while minimising overheating during the summer months. At Black Timber House and Fairview, passive solar principles played a significant role in achieving excellent energy performance while creating bright and uplifting living spaces.

Black Timber House by HAPA Architects. Copyright Jim Stephenson 2022

Technology Works Best When Demand Is Low

Air Source Heat Pumps, Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR), battery storage and solar PV systems can all contribute to reducing energy consumption. However, these technologies perform most effectively when paired with a highly efficient building fabric.

The goal is not simply to generate more energy but to need less energy in the first place.

Natural Materials Create Better Homes

Sustainable architecture is about more than energy performance. The use of natural materials such as timber, slate, flint and oak creates healthier and more enduring buildings that age gracefully and connect occupants to their surroundings.

Black Timber House by HAPA Architects. Copyright Jim Stephenson 2022

Every Site Requires a Different Response

There is no single formula for sustainable architecture. A listed cottage, a replacement dwelling and a contemporary countryside home each require different solutions. What remains consistent is the need to balance environmental performance, architectural quality and the experience of living within the building.

Looking Forward

As building regulations continue to evolve and energy costs remain a consideration for homeowners, low-energy design is becoming increasingly important. Our experience across Sussex has shown that sustainable homes can be beautiful, comfortable and deeply connected to their setting while significantly reducing their environmental impact.

If you are considering a new build, renovation or extension project, we would be happy to discuss how sustainable design principles can be incorporated from the outset: info@hapa-architects.co.uk

Related Projects:

Black Timber House

The Brick Barn
Old Rectory Cottage

Fairview

Related Services:

Sustainable Homes

New Build Homes

The post What We Learned Designing Low-Energy Homes in Sussex appeared first on HAPA Architects.

The Modern House – Feature

Hapa Architects — Mon, 15 Apr 2024 12:37:55 +0000

The Modern House – Feature

The Modern House recently featured Black Timber House. Thank you to Harriet Thorpe for the wonderful article. You can read the full piece here.
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Here are a few snippets from the article!

“As a gateway to nature itself, this house has a responsibility to respect its surroundings; it nests between a group of ash trees and recedes softly with its dark colour and simple form. Yet at the same time, it has to meditate with nature, to provide shelter and harness energy for living.”

“The materials and energy nature provides were core to the design and functioning of the house. “For us, sustainability is not an add on, but integral to the way the house is designed,” says Stuart. In addition to using renewable materials for much of the structure, sustainable technologies including photovoltaic roof panels and a low-energy heat exchange and ventilation system (MVHR) complement the passive measures embedded in the architecture itself, from shading to insulation (which is 30 per cent higher than the regulatory requirements at the time it was built).”

“In summer I use virtually no energy at all,” says Louise. “Inside, the atmosphere is very even. Even in terrible weather, there’s no condensation or draughts, it’s just a very calm environment to live in.”

If you would like to know more about Black Timber House do take a look at the project here.

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RIBA South East Awards Shortlist

Hapa Architects — Mon, 20 Feb 2023 14:45:49 +0000

We are incredibly excited to announce that our project Black Timber House has been shortlisted for the RIBA South East Awards. Fingers crossed for the next stage!
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Project link: www.hapa-architects.co.uk/portfolio/black-timber-house/

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Black Beauty – Grand Designs Feature

Hapa Architects — Sun, 01 Jan 2023 14:39:42 +0000

We’ve been featured in Grand Designs magazine! You can check it out in the January 2023 issue.

‘Black Beauty – The charred timber house’

Do have a read and let us know what you think!

Photos by Jim Stevenson

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