Sea Breeze

Located in Herne Bay, this coastal house is designed to respond directly to its setting, making the most of light, views, and exposure to the elements. The aim was to reduce visual barriers as much as possible, opening the interior to the seascape while still delivering a robust and well-performing building envelope suited to a coastal environment.

Working alongside Blink Architecture the glazing design by Fluid Glass plays a central role in the overall scheme. Given the location, it was important to balance large areas of glazing with materials and detailing capable of withstanding salt air and strong winds over time.

The main elevation is centred around a 3.5m wide Fluid X two-track sliding door, made up of two large sliding panels. This creates a wide, clear opening that connects the interior directly to the outside and frames long views towards the coast.

The system has been kept visually minimal, with colour-matched aluminium cills helping to maintain a consistent finish across the threshold while supporting the practical performance requirements.

Above the sliding doors, a 3.5m by 1.5m triangular pane of frameless structural glass resolves the junction between the wall and the pitched roof.

By using a single shaped panel, the need for additional framing is avoided, allowing the façade to read more cleanly as one continuous glazed surface. The detailing is simple but carefully considered to maintain both visual clarity and structural stability.

The up-and-over glazing extends the façade glazing up into the roof, creating a continuous connection between vertical and overhead surfaces.

A 2.5m high vertical frameless glass pane is silicone jointed and directly connected to a 2m by 1.8m rooflight above through a glass-to-glass junction. This approach keeps framing to a minimum and allows daylight to reach further into the space.

From inside, this arrangement opens up views not just outward to the sea but also upward to the sky, adding another layer to the experience of the space. Achieving this required close coordination and structural checking, including finite element analysis, to ensure the glass performs properly under wind load and movement.

A 3m wide fixed casement window introduces a more controlled opening within the overall composition.

Set as a single pane, it provides a strong horizontal contrast to the larger glazed areas. Located within the kitchen, it frames a specific outward view, bringing natural light into a working space while maintaining a clear visual connection to the landscape.

The finished house brings together architectural intent, structural performance, and material detailing in a straightforward and cohesive way. The use of large-format and frameless glazing reduces the visual presence of the building envelope, allowing the focus to shift towards light, views, and the surrounding environment.

At the same time, the specification of marine-grade finishes and high-performance glazing ensures the building is suited to its coastal setting and will perform reliably over time.

Overall, the project achieves a balance between openness and protection, with a clear relationship between inside and outside that feels natural rather than forced.