Nithurst Farm is a newly constructed family home designed for the founder of Adam Richards Architects. Situated in an open landscape, it occupies the site of a former farm worker’s cottage within the South Downs National Park. The structure features a concrete frame, clad with a thick brick skin, topped by a black zinc roof.
▲ General layout plan
The building’s form steps upward, starting from a single-story entrance on the north facade, rising to a three-story tower. From the south side, the facade takes on a grid-like appearance. Arched brick window openings with deep reveals add rhythm to the elongated side facades and emphasize the substantial mass of the walls. The glossy brick surface enhances the dynamic stepped silhouette of the building, while the blackened bricks framing the arched windows create a shifting visual effect as one moves through the space.
Upon entering, visitors experience a sense of mystery. The entrance leads from the farmyard into a dimly lit foyer enclosed by exposed concrete walls. This space opens up to a lofty 4.5-meter-high kitchen, dining, and family activity area, inspired by Renaissance paintings and Palladio’s Barbaro villa floor plan. The raw concrete walls and ceilings appear freshly cast, intentionally left unfinished to contrast with the ornate brick exterior. The atmosphere is softened with white waxed pine flooring, recycled stone, sisal rugs, and brass furnishings.
▲ First floor plan
The open plan contains six internal concrete towers, each housing secondary rooms such as cloakrooms, studies, and food storage. The architectural plan tapers along the north-south axis, creating a forced perspective that enhances the journey toward the south-facing living room—the home’s focal point. A dim and winding corridor leads visitors to a bright room adorned with modern art and tapestries, amplifying the sense of arrival.
▲ Mezzanine floor plan
Staircases within the towers lead to children’s bedrooms and guest rooms on the second floor. Two large doors open onto a grand central staircase ascending to the master bedroom, offering expansive views of the countryside as a reward for climbing. Floor-to-ceiling south-facing windows provide panoramic vistas. The mirrored layout of bedrooms and dressing rooms leads to a shared bathroom, while a separate “goose bathroom” controls views overlooking the open farmland.
The building masterfully blends the old with the new. Its heavy, tactile materials connect it to surrounding farm structures, while the stepped architectural concept evokes minimalist sculpture. Influences range from Van Buhler’s architectural forms to the Russian filmmaker Tarkovsky, whose film “The Undertaker” inspired the building’s sense of destination. Nithurst Farm layers multiple references and combinations, gradually revealing the whole, enriching architectural meaning, and crafting a beautiful, livable environment.
▲ Elevation view
▲ Elevation view
Project Drawings
▲ Second floor plan
▲ Third floor plan
▲ Elevation view
▲ Section A-A
▲ Section B-B
Project Information
Project Type: Independent Residential Building
Location: United Kingdom
Architect: Adam Richards Architects
Area: 397.0 m²
Year Completed: 2019
Photographer: Brotherton Lock
Manufacturers: Bette, Ibstock, Wienerberger Bricks, Velfac, Spark and Bell, VMZINC, Crosswater
Client: Adam and Jessica Richards
Structural Engineer: Structure Workshop
Service Engineer: P3R
Main Contractor: Garsden Pepper
Quantity Surveyor: MPA
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