SKYHOUSE SUSSEX

Distinctive design, contemporary style and impressive performance combine in this alternative to all-aluminium or timber glazing

Skyhouse Sussex is a new luxury home and eco-friendly guest house by Baufritz, located on the edge of the South Downs National Park and close to Glyndebourne. Built using pioneering prefabricated construction technology, this exceptional low-energy house offers boutique guest accommodation, known as Skyhouse Eco Chic B&B, with stunning views over Lewes and the South Downs.

Guests can enjoy five-star hospitality and experience for themselves the benefits of living in one of Baufritz’s healthy, sustainable homes.

Skyhouse Sussex was built for Amy Burgess, who established a successful US mentoring company before moving to the UK in 2010. She was inspired to build her cutting edge eco-house following a meeting with Anita Roddick – founder of the Body Shop – in the 1990s. Amy knew that she wanted her next house to be as sustainable as possible, and conceived the eco-guest house as a way of demonstrating to other people how luxury living need not be wasteful or harmful to the environment.

Once Amy had found her perfect site – a private and elevated south-facing plot on a hilltop in Lewes – she commissioned Baufritz to build her dream.

Skyhouse Eco Chic B&B contains three ground floor guest bedrooms alongside a spacious living room, open plan kitchen, outdoor terrace and a stylish, landscaped garden. A place for relaxation, the bed and breakfast offers guests healthy breakfasts and a range of treatments including inroom massage and beauty therapy.

The peaceful house and garden create a destination in their own right, where guests are surrounded by nature, fresh air and direct access to the South Downs.

On the first floor, Amy can enjoy her spacious open plan kitchen and living area, alongside a private study and an elegant bedroom suite.

The house is partially earth-sheltered and orientated towards the south. Each room has access to an outdoor terrace through huge triple glazed windows that frame panoramic views from every room of the building while capitalising on natural light and warmth from solar gain.

Skyhouse Sussex is more than carbon neutral. Unusually for buildings in the UK, it is carbon negative as it feeds more energy to the national grid than it consumes. This is evidenced by its A+ Energy Performance Certificate rating of 104. The house is powered by a highly efficient wood pellet

biomass boiler and 32 solar panels — the latter a key feature in the garden.

Harvested rainwater is used where possible to service WCS, the laundry and garden irrigation, among an array of additional green initiatives evident throughout the house. These include a mechanical heat recovery ventilation system, Baufritz’s patented super insulation and LED lighting throughout.

Once the design was agreed and planning consent granted, Amy’s house was built in Baufritz’s state of the art factory in Germany using low-carbon construction processes, sustainable timber and other biodegradable building materials, before being shipped to the UK for construction.

Baufritz’s prefabricated construction technology enabled quick and easy assembly of the main structure over just five days, limiting construction time and eliminating the consequential carbon emissions usually associated with traditional construction.

Prefabricated and built by Baufritz’s own construction team, Skyhouse Sussex has been delivered to exceptionally high standards with German precision engineering. Healthy materials, such as non-toxic paint and sealants, make it an allergen-free home. This contemporary house successfully combines aspirational luxury with clean and green accommodation by reducing carbon emissions and celebrating nature.

Skyhouse Eco Chic B&B has already proved popular among critics and the public. One recent guest review stated that what set the experience apart is “to be able to participate in the movement towards sustainability and zero carbon footprints, while surrounded by beauty and attention to things that please the soul. It is magic — a perfect place to rest and rejuvenate.”

For more information on Baufritz, visit baufritz.com/uk. H