IPTA won a private competition to maximise the development opportunity of this challenging site by creating a landmark sustainable housing scheme. The elevated site, near to the Kent coastline, and with views across the English Channel, is both steeply sloping and located in a conservation area. Our brief was to capitalise on the topography of the site to meet the client’s density requirements whilst minimising the visual impact and retaining green open space, necessary to satisfy the conservation area criteria. The scheme comprises two volumes: the upper and lower terraces. The upper terrace of five houses respects the scale of the dwelling it replaced. Its vernacular roof form responds to the slope of the hillside, and is punctuated with ‘box’ dormers to achieve the required accommodation. The natural ground level of the upper terrace extends to form the planted amenity space and green roof of the four lower terrace houses, which are cut into the hillside within their communal gardens. The road and pedestrian access are also cut into the hillside; the project therefore required extensive coordination between the different levels of the site. The scheme also includes geothermal heating. The traditional arrangement of rooms has been flipped in response to the context; bedrooms are in the lower parts of the houses and the communal living spaces are located on the higher levels, enjoying the extensive views over the leafy coastal town and, on a clear day, across the English Channel to France. The project required sensitive planning negotiations and extensive public consultation to gain planning approval. The local authority and community groups considered this an innovative use of the site: a high-density scheme within a semi-rural location which retained 70% of the site’s green space.The project was successfully completed in 2010.