Meet Redshank, a Maunsell Fort-like home along the coast of Essex

The architects designed the home's exterior walls, roof and underside with cork cladding, based on an idea that the home could float away if heavy flooding were to occur. Featuring built-in seating, the external oak balcony “visually invades the cork cladding thereby making the composition work as a whole,” the RIBA House of the Year jury noted in their report. The home can be entered by climbing the galvanized steel staircase, “giving access to the house as though one has temporarily docked,” the jury describes. Clever bonus features include nesting and bat boxes.

At 49 m2, the interior comprises a living room, bedroom, and bathroom, but “each is immaculately detailed making the most of the CLT structure”. Windows are accordingly proportioned to its function and its outside views; for instance, a large sea-facing window frames views of Maunsell sea forts and wind turbines, while a secret sliding door allows food and drinks to be passed onto the west-facing balcony outside. Doors lead to the deck that overlooks the marshy landscape.

Photo courtesy 2017 RIBA House of the Year Award.