Grand Designs architect is selling £2.25m war bunker home
With its striking appearance, it is perhaps not surprising that this converted World War II bunker is home to an architect.
But this isn’t your ordinary house – or architect, as Lincoln Miles has appeared on TV’s Grand Designs with a previous project that was named one of the best designs of the show.
Both Lincoln properties are located on the Isle of Wight. And his latest project up for sale is his home that he shares with partner artist Lisa Traxler.
It is currently up for grabs for £2.25 million and is being sold by realtor Spence Willard. Lincoln previously converted a bungalow on the Isle of Wight that Grand Designs presenter Kevin McCloud named as one of these all-time favourites.
This three-bedroom detached house on the Isle of Wight is for sale for £2.25 million through Spence Willard estate agents
Next to the main building are two Nissen huts that would have been occupied by the armed forces during World War II
The converted bunker is set in an acre of land on the south coast of the Isle of Wight and has uninterrupted views of the English Channel.
On the outside there is a combination of fiber cement panels and brise soleil, an architectural feature of horizontal and vertical slats to reduce heat gain through large glass doors and windows
The original concrete bunker has been incorporated into the design of the main residence and is currently used as a gallery space
The house has incorporated the existing concrete bunker as a gallery space and two Nissen huts have been repurposed there as studio workspaces and occasional rentals.
A Nissen hut is a prefabricated steel structure originally for military use, in a semi-cylindrical shape.
Meanwhile, the historic bunker was a Royal Air Force radar station and guarded Britain’s southern coast during World War II.
The property has brise soleil on the outside – horizontal and vertical louvres to reduce heat gain through large glass doors and windows
The historic bunker was a Royal Air Force radar station and guarded Britain’s south coast during World War II
The kitchen has a colorful worktop with a bespoke design to match the fins of the brise soleil on the outside of the property
The house in the village of St Lawrence is accessed via a curved driveway with parking for several cars.
The driveway leads to a carport, which has a grass mountain as a canopy that also incorporates the building into the hillside.
The fins of the bruise soleil on the outside of the building were designed by Lisa, with a nod to camouflage patterns.
The living room has a poured concrete staircase that curves down around a double-height living space for entertaining
The living room has a wood-burning stove surrounded by a chimney wall clad in ‘bubble-gum aluminium’ and a view of the sea
The modern property is located in the village of St. Lawrence and is built into the hillside on a generous plot of land
The architect is Lincoln Miles and he embraced the towering concrete walls to help create a monolithic cave-like environment
Inside the property there is a long corridor connecting the two parts of the ground floor with the kitchen and living space in the southwest corner and the bunker in the eastern part.
The towering concrete walls create a monolithic cave-like setting and have been used as a gallery and event space by the current owners.
It has polished concrete with underfloor heating and spruce cladding above.
The designer living space features contrasting textures including polished concrete with underfloor heating and spruce cladding above
There is a large dining table next to a floor-to-ceiling window that offers a view of the bunker and the outside garden
There are three bedrooms on the first floor of the property, two of which have spectacular sea views and share a wide balcony
A light well separates the dining area and the kitchen, which is arranged around a worktop also designed by Lisa.
There is a poured concrete staircase that curves around a double-height living space where there is a wood-burning stove surrounded by a chimney wall clad in ‘bubble-gum aluminum’.
There are three bedrooms on the first floor, two of which have sea views and share a wide balcony.
Next to the house are two Nissen huts that would have been occupied by the defense during World War II. They are both insulated and each has a wood-burning stove and washing facilities.
Both converted Nissen cabins on site are insulated and each have a wood burning stove and washing facilities
The war bunker is home to architect Lincoln Miles and his artist partner Lisa Traxler (pictured on Grand Designs when they converted a bungalow on the Isle of Wight)
The house in the village of St Lawrence on the Isle of Wight is accessed via a curved driveway with parking for several cars
Lincoln Miles Architecture has been responsible for the highest concentration of Grand Designs houses on a single street in Britain.
The architect was featured in the TV series Grand Designs in 2010 when he converted a bungalow. The architect was also shortlisted for the show’s 2013 awards and was nominated as one of host Kevin McCloud’s Top Ten Grand Design Projects.
