Woven House Broadstairs, Modern Kent home photos, English residence architecture, Property project

Woven House in Broadstairs, Kent

21 June 2023

Architects: Giles Miller Studio

Location: Broadstairs, Kent, southeast England, United Kingdom

Photos by Rachel Ferriman and Edvinas Bruzas

Woven House, Kent

Giles Miller Studio creates a new architectural typology with the launch of Woven, Broadstairs, Kent.

An artistic approach to architecture.

Giles Miller Studio’s first completed residential property sits 100m from the cliffs and sandy beaches of Broadstairs, Kent. The house breaks down barriers between the building’s internal spaces and the glade of natural planting and trees that surround it, through a unique sculptural facade which invites nature to grow up the outside of the house whilst also being visible from within it.

Giles Miller Studio believes in enriching people’s experience of space through an artistic and interventionist approach to architectural design. The UK-based studio continues to explore the relationship between materials and light, and this interest manifests in projects ranging in scale from miniature sculptural work and jewellery up to pavilions and permanent architecture.

Giles comments on Woven, “The buildings we inhabit have a direct impact on our state of mind. Through their design they are curators of light, sound and human interaction, and they can expose us to nature and organic materials to dramatically positive effect. We believe that this aspiration, in synchrony with our latest surface and sculptural experimentation in the studio, has spawned a wholly unique architectural typology.”

A sculptural facade, bringing architectural functionality.

Woven’s external surface is a sculptural artwork which brings an architectural functionality to the building by encouraging jasmine, clematis and other planting to grow up through the sculptural latticework and bring nature visibly into the building through the largely glass exterior.

The facade makes the building look at home within nature, brings the beauty of those natural surroundings visually into the building for the inhabitants benefit, and also enables the extensive use of floor to ceiling glass by creating natural shading.

The sculptural concept itself was first inspired by the mathematical circularity of twisted rattan weave. Giles has introduced a 3-dimensional relief to this composition with the recycled ABS modules which have been produced from the waste materials recovered from the UK-based production of electronic component housing. The depth of the sculptural modules allows for increased visual permeability as well as a greater surface for the climbing plants which adorn the building to weave through.

A creative collaboration.

Woven is a manifesto building – from the ground up and from the inside out it has been designed to maximise the richness of experience for inhabitants through a unique approach to material selection and composition.

The project has been delivered by a collaborative cohort led by Giles and his studio which includes architects, artists, engineers and makers alongside some of the world’s most conscientious suppliers.

The kitchen features Miele throughout, a brand which consistently creates products which are exceptionally designed and which last a lifetime. Each appliance is performance focused, featuring EcoPower technology and functionality. Vispring beds deliver an immeasurably comfortable experience and feature exclusively throughout Woven. The brand’s use of natural materials like horsehair, pure cotton, and Shetland wool, as well as luxury finishes like silk and cashmere, not only bring immense health benefits but are also environmentally sensitive.

When considering how to style a house with such a unique and neoteric aesthetic, timelessness was a primary consideration for both sustainability and emotive reasons. The studio turned to Ercol and the classic collection designed by Lucian Ercolani. Inspired by the pure elemental beauty of wood, and guided by a minimal aesthetic, Ercol provided furniture which perfectly balances a timeless design aesthetic with the emotional comfort and nostalgia of beautifully crafted natural materials.

Caesarstone Frozen Terra surfaces and countertops throughout the kitchen combine long-lasting low maintenance materials with the brands belief in symbiotic sustainability, and Tala lighting deliver design-led, sustainable lighting throughout the house, creating lights that are gentle on the planet and make life in the building feel brighter with feature lights that define the zones of the open plan interior. Grohe provided premium kitchen and bathroom fittings which conserve water and which along with all the brands included in this collaboration produce products which, importantly, will last.

About Giles Miller Studio
Giles Miller is a British designer, artist and creative whose work spans surface, architectural and sculptural projects. His eponymous and award-winning studio was set up in 2011 and produces projects in a breadth of scale for clients globally. Giles Miller Studio continues to defy categorisation as a creative and artistic practice with the launch of its first residential architectural project.

Giles graduated with a Masters in Design Products from London’s Royal College of Art, and has since created acclaimed and award-winning work for some of the world’s most prestigious brand-names across a variety of industries.

The characteristic Giles Miller Studio aesthetic comes from the fusion of technology with the handmade, primarily in the medium of sculptural surface design. Notable projects include an architectural pavilion on the Cannes beachfront for BBC Studios, surface installations across global British Airways lounges; a 3-storey high permanent sculptural installation in the Kempinski Hotel Dubai; facades for Hermes, feature walls for Stella McCartney stores and installations for retailers including Harrods, Tiffany & Co, Disney and Omega Watches.

Woven House in Kent, England – Property Information

Architects: Giles Miller Studio – https://gilesmiller.com/
@gilesmiller

Main Contractor: Future Construction Kent
CLT: Construkt CLT
Groundworks: Ovendens
Planting Design: The Big Green Leaf
Str.Eng. (Steelwork): Design4Structures
Str.Eng (Steelwork, CLT): Structure Workshop
Str.Eng. (Facade): Michael Alexander Eng
Consulting Arch: Outpost
Glazing: C&A Window Systems
Photography: Rachel Ferriman

Completion date: 2023
Building levels: 1

Photography: Rachel Ferriman and Edvinas Bruzas

Woven House, Broadstairs, Kent images / information 280622 from Giles Miller Studio

Location: Southeast England, UK

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