Designing a Hillside Home Around Coastal Views
Dynargh was designed as a private coastal retreat that responds to its rugged hillside setting. The three-storey house is partially concealed from the roadside, with horizontal black timber and locally sourced stone helping the building sit within the surrounding landscape.
On the ocean-facing elevation, extensive glazing was required to bring daylight into the bedroom, kitchen and living spaces while framing views across the Cornish coastline. Large sliding doors and fixed glass were positioned to make the outlook visible throughout the home without exposing the property to nearby roads and public footpaths.
The glazing strategy allows the more private roadside elevation to remain controlled while opening the rear of the home towards the sea, terraces and landscape.
Concealing Sliding Door Frames Within Stone and Timber
Three sets of ultra-slim sliding glass doors in Newquay were designed to form the principal openings across the rear coastal elevation. Each installation was made to the architect’s dimensions, allowing the glass to extend from floor to ceiling and align with the height of the internal spaces.
The perimeter frames were concealed within the adjoining stone and timber façades. This reduced the visible aluminium around each aperture and allowed the glazing to read as large planes of glass rather than conventional framed door openings.
Careful coordination between the glazing, structure and external finishes was required to ensure the sliding doors remained visually minimal while integrating accurately with two different façade materials.
Sliding and Pivot Doors with Flush Thresholds
Minimal framed pivot doors were specified alongside the sliding systems to provide additional access while maintaining a consistent glazing design. The pivot doors use the same minimal approach and open smoothly around a concealed pivot point.
Flush floor tracks were incorporated beneath the sliding and pivot doors to create a level transition between the internal living spaces and external terraces. Complementary floor finishes further reinforce the continuity between the kitchen, dining and lounge areas and the ocean-facing exterior.
This combination of sliding and pivot openings allows each part of the home to respond to its specific access requirements without introducing visually inconsistent door systems.
Minimal Glazing for a Coastal New Build
The completed glazing package connects all three levels of Dynargh with the Cornish coast while maintaining privacy from surrounding public routes.
Floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors frame the sea from the main living spaces, while pivot doors provide complementary access to the external areas. Concealed outer frames and flush thresholds allow the glazed openings to integrate with the stone and timber architecture rather than interrupt it.
For architects and specifiers designing similar coastal new builds, minimal windows® can advise on sliding configurations, pivot doors, concealed frames and threshold detailing for exposed hillside sites.
