{"id":11035,"date":"2026-01-22T13:39:01","date_gmt":"2026-01-22T13:39:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rutha.org\/index.php\/2026\/01\/22\/templeton-ford-builds-multigenerational-home-that-reinterprets-archetypal-sussex-houses\/"},"modified":"2026-01-22T13:39:01","modified_gmt":"2026-01-22T13:39:01","slug":"templeton-ford-builds-multigenerational-home-that-reinterprets-archetypal-sussex-houses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rutha.org\/index.php\/2026\/01\/22\/templeton-ford-builds-multigenerational-home-that-reinterprets-archetypal-sussex-houses\/","title":{"rendered":"Templeton Ford builds multigenerational home that reinterprets archetypal Sussex houses"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Clay<\/div>\n

A curvy three-tiered roof tops the red brick<\/a> and tile<\/a> walls of Clay Rise, a house<\/a> designed and built by the founders of British studio Templeton Ford in southeast England for their own family.<\/span><\/p>\n

Architect Andre Templeton Ford and interior stylist Jessica Templeton Ford designed the residence in a village in West Sussex for themselves, their young children and Andre’s parents.<\/p>\n

\"Garden
Clay Rise is a two-storey house with a self-contained apartment underneath it<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Clay Rise, Templeton Ford<\/a>‘s debut project, is a contemporary spin on the varied brick architecture of the local village, which includes archetypal homes to decorative Arts and Crafts-style buildings.<\/p>\n

The material palette is traditional, with clay bricks forming the base of the walls, and the upper walls clad in a matching clay tile. Clay tiles also cover the roofs, but the sweeping forms give these elements a more unusual profile.<\/p>\n

\"Tiered
A three-tiered curvy roof give the house an unusual profile<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Andre Templeton Ford said that design provided a way of creating character while adhering to planning restrictions that limited the heights of eaves and gutter lines, as well as the overall building height.<\/p>\n

“The sweeping roof form emerged as a playful response to the local context and planning constraints,” he told Dezeen.<\/p>\n

“It became a way to give the building a strong visual identity without increasing its apparent scale.”<\/p>\n

\"Doorway
Clay bricks and tiles form the exterior walls and roof<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The couple chose a prefabricated timber frame system to enable a speedy and precise assembly process despite the curved geometry. This was crucial for Andre Templeton Ford, who oversaw the construction, reducing the on-site build time to just two weeks.<\/p>\n

“Prefabrication was central to the project’s efficiency and delivery,” he said. “As an architect also taking on the role of contractor, it provided a high level of cost and programme certainty, particularly for the erection of the superstructure.”<\/p>\n

\"Andre
Andre and Jessica Templeton Ford designed the house for themselves and their family<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Clay Rise stands next to the architect’s childhood home, on a plot created within its expansive garden.<\/p>\n

The lowest level provides a two-bedroom apartment for the young family, while the main house occupies the upper two floors, giving the grandparents a flexible kitchen, dining and living space and a bedroom suite.<\/p>\n

\"Staircase
Lime plaster coats a curvaceous CNC-cut staircase<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The sloping site made it possible for both homes to have a ground-floor entrance.<\/p>\n

Inside, they are connected by\u00a0a curvaceous CNC-cut staircase, which is coated in lime plaster for a natural finish.<\/p>\n