Striking wooden house in Wales is shaped to make the most of its view
Maich Swift Architects’ Rhossili House is a minimalist wooden house that makes the most of its dramatic Welsh surrounds
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- Sign up to our newsletter Newsletter

Perched high above the beaches of the Gower Peninsula, Maich Swift Architects’ Rhossili House is an elegant fusion of traditional forms and minimalist architecture details; a wooden house informed by its context.
This part of South Wales is wild and rugged, with a long history of settlement and agriculture. Although the coastline is beautiful, it is also subjected to strong winds and treacherous currents – many ships have foundered in Rhossili Bay over the centuries.
Maich Swift Architects’ task was to face up to this scenic but demanding landscape with a house that served as both sculpture and sanctuary. The village of Rhossili and its surroundings have been part of an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty since 1956, the very first such designation in the whole of the British Isles.
As a result, there was extra scrutiny on the design, which occupies a prominent clifftop site at the edge of the village. As well as consolidating and incorporating two existing outbuildings, the bulk of the project involved the construction of a new solid timber house.
Superficially, the new house bears a strong resemblance to the white-walled, pitched-roofed vernacular that has been built along this stretch of coastline for centuries. The London-based architects undertook a forensic examination of the surrounding properties and their designs.
However, Rhossili House’s façade is shaped entirely by the interior configuration, which in turn was directed by the stunning western views out to sea and up the coast to the north.
On the elevation facing the sea, large frameless windows make the most of the views, while the rear of the house is defined by a sequence of smaller, uniformly sized square windows and rooflights. A top-lit central stair core forms the heart of the house, with four bedrooms and a bathroom on the upper floor, three of which have dual aspects.
The top floor ceilings are all taken up into the roof slope to create generous spaces, with dark timber flooring and lighter panelled ceilings. Downstairs, a grand living/dining room has a run of floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the ocean, 70m below.
The building was constructed using solid spruce cross-laminated timber, with a lime render finish and aluminium windows and detailing. These natural materials are not only breathable and robust but provide high levels of insulation, so that an air source heat pump can provide all the house’s energy needs.
The building’s strong environmental performance and sympathetic appearance helped the architects navigate the 57 planning constraints applied to the site – the process to get permission for the project took two years. After all that, the actual final erection of the frame took just three weeks, before the pandemic closed the site down for yet another lengthy delay.
Inside, there is custom-built furniture to match the purity of the design, with details like skirtings and door surroundings kept deliberately low key. In addition to the refurbished outbuildings, a new timber-frame garage was added, as well as a viewpoint, defined by a ribbon of white walls, that juts out over the wild landscape.
INFORMATION
maichswift.com (opens in new tab)
Jonathan Bell has written for Wallpaper* magazine since 1999, covering everything from architecture and transport design to books, tech and graphic design. He is now the magazine’s Transport and Technology Editor. Jonathan has written and edited 15 books, including Concept Car Design, 21st Century House, and The New Modern House. He is also the host of Wallpaper’s first podcast.
-
Last chance to see: Laure Prouvost's Light Hall commission at National Museum in Oslo
The Turner Prize-winning artist takes over the cavernous space atop Oslo’s new National Museum with an ethereal installation
By Will Jennings • Published
-
In memoriam: Paco Rabanne (1934 – 2023)
Spanish designer Paco Rabanne, known for his visionary ‘Space Age’ fashion and experimental fragrances, has died aged 88
By Jack Moss • Published
-
Zara launches playful beauty line for kids
Mini Artists by Zara Beauty is a new line of kid-friendly face paints and water-soluble nail polishes designed with Diane Kendal
By Mary Cleary • Published
-
Arctic conditions shape pared-down house in northern Sweden by Claesson Koivisto Rune
Claesson Koivisto Rune’s new pared-down house makes a bold sculptural statement on the banks of Sweden’s Lule River, shaped by building regulations and its location’s Arctic conditions
By Jonathan Bell • Published
-
The Bolder lodges by Snøhetta embrace a Norwegian cliff-edge view
The Bolder project comprises four elevated cabins, enveloped in a Norwegian fjord view, designed by Snøhetta in collaboration with Tom Bjarte Norland and Vipp
By Martha Elliott • Published
-
Hampshire home for a sailor makes for a sustainable domestic haven
Sailor's House by OB Architecture is a Hampshire home that combines minimalism and sustainability
By Ellie Stathaki • Published
-
A minimalist Mexican home has rocky roots
Echegaray, a minimalist Mexican home by Pérez Palacios Arquitectos Asociados, draws on its rocky site, which peeps out from its lower levels
By Ellie Stathaki • Published
-
Mapping modern Cambridge architecture
A modern Cambridge architecture map offers immersive tours through the British city’s 20th century gems
By Martha Elliott • Published
-
This tiny house is the perfect lookout towards the Seto Inland Sea
A tiny house by Schemata Architects looks out towards the Seto Inland Sea
By Ellie Stathaki • Published
-
Home and art gallery Maison Colbert is a London transformation story
Maison Colbert by Chris Dyson Architects reimagines a row of London houses into a single home and artist's gallery in the East End
By Marwa El Mubark • Published
-
This slim Condesa house in Mexico City blends rawness and nature
Casa Parras, a Condesa house in Mexico City, is the brainchild of two studios – Alberto Kalach’s TAX and Emilio A Cohen's Tow Va Bow
By Ellie Stathaki • Published