KAST Architects is an award winning practice based in Cornwall.
Founded in 2014, the architecture studio now delivers a broad range of projects throughout the UK. Our design solutions are elegant, simple, cost-effective and innovative; underpinned by thorough research and an eye for detail.
We don’t adhere to an in-house style, rather we have an approach to design that is consistent in its commitment to low energy architecture, offering our clients a bespoke local design response in a sustainable and thoughtful way. We have a passion for delivering sustainable solutions with integrity, that are modern and yet sensitive to their context.
At KAST Architects there is an energy and enthusiasm that drives our work, coupled with a respect for the people that we work with and the planet whose resources we are borrowing. Sustainability underpins, over-arches and threads through our approach to each project. It is fully integrated within the design process and therefore neither dominates our work, nor is it left to chance.
We value the people that we collaborate with and try to engender a culture of respect and openness, of finding solutions rather than highlighting problems and of positivity and laughter. In short, we work hard to ensure that the people we work with enjoy the experience and the end result makes our clients smile.
Cornwall
England
TR1 2PN
United Kingdom
Balanced high on a cliff in south Cornwall, Sea Edge offers an uninterrupted panorama of the horizon, picking up Rame Head to the east, and Looe and St George’s Island to the west.
Sea Edge maximises the views out to sea by utilising the existing topography of the site to full effect. The design places the main living accommodation on the upper floor, where the spectacular views can be enjoyed from the lounge, dining room and kitchen. Three ensuite bedrooms are located on the lower floor, each with direct access to a southerly facing terrace.
The architecture of the home allows the client to realise their dream of modern coastal living, with a close interaction with the vast and ever changing ocean.
Nestled into the tree tops at the head of a creek, Sylvania leans out from the hillside to make the most of views towards the Fal Ria. The design sensitively responds to the Sylvan character of the site in the heart of Cornwall’s Area of outstanding Natural Beauty.
The building is carefully positioned on the site so that none of the protected trees were removed. Due to the steep topography, the lower ground floor is aligned with the slope of the site, while the first floor cantilevers out to maximise views down the creek.
Robust natural materials have been selected to compliment and reflect the wooded setting. The lower storey is clad in Cornish slate to provide a solid base from which the timber clad first floor projects.
Tucked away in the heart of Cornwall, near Tehidy Woods, is a new oak frame house for a young local family. The site is a former garden plot, surrounded by a line of protected trees and mature hedgerows.
A simple domestic form echoes the local rural vernacular barns, belying the variety and intrigue of the internal spaces. Clad primarily in black stained thermally modified timber and a black profiled metal roof sheet, the house nestles quietly within its sylvan setting.
Insulation levels and air-tightness measures far exceed building regulation requirements, while high performance triple glazed windows complete the building facade. A ground source heat pump serves the underfloor heating system which runs throughout the house.
The design has allowed the client and their family to downsize from their existing 1840s period property without compromising in space and character.