We were approached to design a replacement house on this beautiful site, just outside Stockholm in Sweden. A traditional wooden house stood on the site; a beautiful sloping seaside plot with its own jetty, enjoying a westerly outlook over the sea. Strict local planning regulations dictated that a maximum of 20% of the site could be built, and gave limitations on the number of storeys and maximum height of the building. As such, designs in the area are quite boxy by nature in order to try to maximise the built area within these tight restrictions. Our challenge was therefore to create a generous family home on a reasonably small site with many constraints. The brief was to design a contemporary family home with a real connection to the outside and the water. The house consists of two storeys and a basement level. The entrance is on road level (which will be the ground floor), and this floor will comprise living, kitchen and dining areas. These areas form an 'L' shape volume, and will spill out onto a large terrace created by the 'void', to allow for a great inside/outside connection. This layout will give maximum privacy from neighbours, as well as creating a private area for enjoying the best views facing northwest - from inside and outside. The first floor will contain two children's bedrooms, a family snug and master bedroom suite. The master suite will also have a large terrace overlooking the water. Due to the slope of the site, the basement will only be partially underground. Spaces such as the utility, storage and plant room will be located to the rear of the underground space, and at the front there will be a spa suite with a sauna, a yoga studio and gym. These relaxing spaces will benefit from the beautiful views, and there will be access to the outside, and down to the water. The house will be built out of concrete blocks with a layer of sandwiched insulation in the middle, and then rendered inside and out. There will be large glazed areas at the rear of the house and timber-sliding screens will provide privacy and shading - as and when required. The house was granted planning permission in May, and construction began on-site Autumn 2016. Completion is expected in early 2019.