We have submitted a full planning application for 20 new apartments in Forest Hill, South London.

The application has been prepared following an extensive pre-application with Lewisham Council. These aerial 3D visualisations showcase the proposed building amongst its surroundings – the design is a contemporary reinterpretation of the neighbouring modernist apartment blocks, finished in white brickwork with green balconies and metalwork.

For more info click here

We are delighted to announce we have won the Small Scale Residential Category and received a highly commended in the inaugural South Downs Design Award, at the 2021 Sussex Heritage Awards.

The judges commented as follows:
“This new build has been very well detailed and designed to fit comfortably in its location and makes the most of the magnificent 360 degree views. The internal layout was very engaging, it was light, airy and spacious and a delight to walk through. An exemplary project - a well deserved award winner.”

Corin and Tom from MortonScarr Architects attended the awards ceremony with the Clients to collect the award.

We are excited to have had our South Downs House featured in this months issue of Grand Designs magazine. Click this link to read the full article starting on page 20.

We are proud and excited to announce that we have moved offices and are now located in the heart of Brighton’s South Lanes.

The rest of our contact details remain the same, however you can now find us at:
MortonScarr Architects
47 Middle Street
Brighton
BN1 1AL

Our new office space is open with immediate effect and we are looking forward to welcoming everyone in 2021

We are currently in pre-application discussions with Lewisham Council for this proposed residential development in South London. Carefully positioned on a narrow site between two existing developments, the proposal seeks to maximise the potential of the site without detracting from the adjacent buildings. Our proposal draws on the vernacular of the adjacent buildings and provides a series of shared outdoor amenity spaces which interact with the existing sloping topography of the site.

Exciting developments have happened over the past couple of weeks at Highcliff. External finishes are nearing completion, including the pink rendered walls, designed in homage to the previous house and adding a nice contrast to the black cladding installed to the rear terrace.

As works conclude externally, works on the internal finishes have commenced. The internal walls have been plastered and are now ready to be varnished with a clear sealant, thus ensuring the plastered finish is protected. The project is due to complete in spring of 2021.

We’re thrilled to announce that planning approval has been granted for our extension and remodelling of the Housel Bay Hotel. The proposal includes a new contemporary glazed extension at ground floor, overlooking the grounds and private cove below.

To capitalise on the stunning views along the Cornish coast, at roof level we're adding rooms with large dormers and private balconies, as can be seen in the 3D visualisation. For more information and images click here.

The scaffolding has come down revealing the building to its surroundings. The facades are all prepped and ready for the installation of the render finish along the street elevation and the black timber cladding to the rear of the house.

The boarding out of the internal walls has begun and the interior spaces are starting to take shape. The windows have now been installed providing the views down to Charmouth Beach. Over the course of the next few weeks the first fixes will be complete and the wall skimming will begin.

We are delighted to announce our new build house in the Roedean area of Brighton has received planning approval. Set atop a steeply sloping site, the design for the house responds to the immediate context and street scene.

The main living spaces set on the first floor with floor to ceiling glazing, flooding the spaces with natural light simultaneously taking full advantage of stunning panoramic views across the Sussex coastline. The second floor is set-back from the floors below and contains a luxurious master suite and ‘storm room’ for watching the clouds roll in over the English Channel.

Using a palette of materials that speaks to the coastal location, a chalky brick for the lower two floors and timber cladding to wrap the second floor. For more information and images click here.

With the majority of the external scaffolding taken down this week, following the recent fitting of the windows and curtain walling. The form of the house is very visible, the curved lower ground floor window is a real feature. The installation included laser cutting a steel template to ensure the perfect fit in the masonry walls. The large picture window on the east elevation will provide spectacular views out over the gardens and the Dublin Bay beyond.

The view from the top of the site shows the floor to ceiling glazing in the courtyard, that will create a dramatic entrance into the house. The roof will be laid with sedum, blending the house into the landscape and modulating the view from the road to the Dublin Bay.

Construction update coming soon.....

We have recently submitted a planning application for a new house in Roedean. Located on an elevated and steeply sloping site, this ‘upside down’ house has been designed to respond to the immediate context and street scene.

The main living spaces set on the first floor are fully glazed, flooding the spaces with natural light simultaneously taking full advantage of stunning panoramic views across the Sussex coastline. The set-back upper floor contains a luxurious master suite and ‘storm room’ for watching the clouds roll in over the English Channel.

The material palette is a refreshing combination of pale grey facing brickwork for the majority of the house and the terrace and a contrasting ribbed composite clad second floor. Click here for more information.

We have recently completed these 9 apartments in Ealing, West London. Our developer Client purchased the site with a planning permission in place, which we analysed and improved, adding a new floor to maximise the plot potential and provide extra accommodation. After obtaining the new planning consents, we completed the technical design and oversaw the construction stage of work.

Located to the rear of the main buildings on the high street, the site is secluded and offers private gardens to all of the ground floor units, with terraces on the upper floors complete with brise soleil screening.

The base of the building is finished in a blue brick, with a contrasting white render above. Internally, the apartments have been designed using a rich palette of dark woods and tiles, complemented by lighter shades to the built in joinery and feature lighting throughout to highlight the key spaces.

We are pleased to announce that we have received planning approval for our Kent Farm House. A new home on a green belt site, overlooking the rolling hills and North Downs beyond. The proposal features a large single storey new family home with garage and annex. The layout is designed to capitalise on the spectacular views available from every part of the site.

The buildings themselves are to be clad in a mixture of dark grey metal and light grey brickwork, drawing on the agricultural vernacular of the local buildings. We hope to commence construction in the spring of 2021. For more information and images click here.

Completed at the end of last year, Heathervale House is the transformation of a tired 1970’s office building into a much more contemporary building befitting of its prominent location within the centre of Royal Tunbridge Wells. As a refurbishment and extension project, it is one of the most transformative in the practice’s portfolio. The original building was a 3 storey concrete structure clad in brick and slate tiles that had little street presence.

In addition to a rear extension that increased the lettable floorspace, we added two new storeys on top of the existing structure, increasing the internal area of the offices from 1340m² to 2900m².

Externally, the building was entirely re-clad, incorporating the existing window openings but also adding projecting feature bay windows. The grey panels that cover the lower levels are accented with large projecting bronze and aluminium boxes flooding the internal spaces with natural light. The two new bronze storeys above are set back and feature large areas of glazing, shielded from the elements with bespoke beautiful bronze louvres. For more details and photographs click here.

We've been exploring some concept design for a client for their coastal site in Brighton. The designs centre around elevated open plan living and bedroom spaces that look out over uninterrupted views of the sea. The house includes a private library room for watching storms as they pass through.

The site itself is heavily sloped down towards the water and includes a pool and external kitchenette, directly accessed from the ground floor creating an outdoor indoor living experience.

We have recently submitted a planning application for a replacement dwelling in the Kent Green Belt. The proposal include a new family home, garage and annex, arranged to take full advantage of the incredible views the site has to offer. The buildings are finished in a mixture of dark grey metal and light grey brickwork, inspired by the agricultural heritage of the site. Extruded windows and perforated panels finished in light gold/bronze provide a pop of colour. For more information and images click here.

Work is well underway on our new build house project on the Irish peninsular of Howth.

After some significant re-levelling works on site, the lower ground floor has now been formed, the walls are rising and the rear concrete retaining wall completed. A stepped gabion wall is also in place which helps to hold back a steep bank of earth to the side of the house and will form part of the final landscape design.

The upper ground floor concrete slab is due to be poured in the coming weeks at which point the house will really start to take shape. Watch this space…

MortonScarr Architects has signed up to the RIBA 2030 Climate Challenge, an initiative to deliver net zero whole life carbon for new and retrofitted buildings by 2030.

The practice remains committed to playing it's part in tackling the global crisis, watch this space for further updates.

We have recently submitted a planning application for an extension and remodel of the Housel Bay Hotel. Located on the Lizard Peninsula in Cornwall, the hotel is the southernmost in the United Kingdom.

The proposal includes a new contemporary glazed extension at ground floor, overlooking the grounds and private cove below. At roof level as a way of capturing stunning panoramic views along the coast we're adding rooms with large dormers and private balconies, as can be seen in the 3D visualisation to the left. Click here for more information.

We have acheived planning permission for the extension to this existing office building in the London Borough of Bromley.

Our initial application changed the use of the existing building from offices to residential, creating 17 new apartments in the process. A second application was then approved for the addition of three new apartments set within a new roof top extension and a full external refurbishment.

Located in a stunning valley just outside Lanreath, Cornwall this historic stone Granary building has fallen into a state of disrepair. We are excited to be restoring it to its former glory whilst adding two single-storey extensions in a contrasting, contemporary style.

Blackened timber cladding provides warmth against the cool existing slate walls, whilst extensive glazing will maximise views down the valley. Wherever possible, the character of the existing barn will be maintained and highlighted through the interior design of the new home.

We are excited to have completed our development of three family homes in Lyme Regis. The conversion of a sprawling postwar house into two units and a contemporary new build house set in the grounds of the original garden. The properties sit against a backdrop of mature trees on a hillside providing spectacular panoramic views along the Jurassic Coast.

The white render of the two converted properties is offset by the warm Siberian larch timber clad new home. The angular form of the new build property offers 1st floor open plan living with a dynamic plywood lined ceiling and expansive terrace.


For more photos and information on the project click here

We are excited to begin construction on this new-build house overlooking the Teign Estuary in Devon.

Our clients bought the site, which included foundations built for an earlier project that was subsequently abandoned. They challenged us to create their dream home; to ignore the previous design and make the most of the site, but incorporate as much as possible what had been already built.

The entrance to the house is approach via a walled courtyard which disguises the ground floor of the house, hidden behind it. A full height glazed lobby is set in a reflection pool. The walls of the house are clad in a warm palette of natural stone and corten-steel, offsetting the white cement board clad first floor which sits perpendicular over the entrance lobby to make the most of views towards the river estuary.

We look forward to sharing more photos when works have begun.

We are excited to have begun design work on the Housel Bay Hotel. Located on the Lizard Peninsula it is the southernmost hotel in the United Kingdom. With uninterrupted panoramic views along the jagged coastline and wild countryside all the way out to the Atlantic Ocean.

Located on a busy street corner in Bromley, South East London. The new five storey apartment block is made up of 29 one and two bed units with a large retail space at ground floor.

Each apartment has large dual aspect open plan living spaces as well as private external balconies. The building itself features a stepped façade generating a rhythm along the long street elevation. The protruding bays are clad in red brick, to contrast with the white brick used to clad the majority of the building. The project is one of our first BIM projects, with every detail designed and co-ordinated entirely in Revit as seen in the 3D visualisation.

For more photos and information on the project click here

We are nearing completion of a new build house set in the South Downs National Park. Positioned on a sensitive hill top site, the house takes in stunning uninterrupted panoramic views from every direction, which can be enjoyed from setback roof terraces that catch the morning and evening light.

The five bedroom, four bathroom house has replaced a single storey bungalow. We have clad the house in traditional flint in keeping with the surrounding villages, complimented by a standing seam metal roof that’s punctuated with dormers that provide light to the first floor bedrooms, as well as views over the surrounding fields and hills.

After just over a year on site we're a matter of weeks from completing three family homes in Lyme Regis, Dorset.

A conversion of a postwar home into two homes and a new contemporary timber home set in the grounds of the original garden.

All three units have expansive terraces, allowing all residents a chance to make the most of the fabulous views over the stunning countryside and out along the Jurassic Coastline. The new home has an open plan living space at first floor, opening up onto a sheltered terrace.

We look forward to sharing completed photographs shortly.

With planning achieved in early 2018, we have spent the past 12 months preparing for work to start on this bespoke new build house on Howth Head, Dublin.

Set into the hillside the house has been designed to take full advantage of spectacular panoramic views over the Dublin Bay and beyond to the Irish Sea.

A combination of floor to ceiling windows and a carefully selected palette of materials unites the house seamlessly with this beautiful landscape.

We look forward to following the progress on site once work begins in late spring, with an anticipated completion in 2020

After a year and a half on site Heathervale House is approaching the final stages of construction, and the original 1970’s office block has been transformed into a significantly larger, much more contemporary building.

With the scaffolding having recently been dropped the dark grey and bronze material palette has been revealed, as well as the beautiful louvre screens that surround the upper floors, giving the building a real presence in the wider area.

Coming up we’re excited to see the completion of the new entrance and circulation core which will complete the building.

For more information click here

We'd like to extend our thanks to everyone who attended the MortonScarr re-branding launch party last Wednesday at the Fabrica Gallery in Brighton.

It was a great evening, and an opportunity to showcase a selection of our recently completed projects, along with some of our future work. Thanks again to those who joined us!