Architecture Awards 2021

70 BUILD 2021 Architecture Awards May21756 Most Experienced Private Housing Design Specialist 2021 When it comes to home renovation in a residential area, the front facing façade of the house can be both the most stressful and frustrating part as one tries to navigate making a plan that fits both the homeowner and the area. However, with the help of Rex Hawkesworth, the stress of it is lifted from a client’s shoulders and handled expertly, creating socially recognisable and robust structures that a client can be proud of. he front of a house is the first impression that a person gives when inviting someone back to their home. Therefore, front entrances are incredibly important, and something that Rex Hawkesworth seeks to design for each and every individual customer, allowing them to show off their individuality whilst keeping with the surroundings, as well as allowing their house to better withstand the test of time. This especially applies for properties facing a main road as in this case ‘makeup is inevitable’ – between time and road fumes, degradation is just another fact of home ownership, and Rex Hawkesworth will endeavour to ensure the house is as prepared for this as possible. The front elevation, whether permanent or not, is also particularly sensitive a remodel to handle because it must fit the scene of the wider road. This, depending on whether it’s a private road or not, as well as the particular aesthetic of the area, and the sensibilities of the neighbours, can drastically alter the plans for a front-facing façade; but this is another element that Rex Hawkesworth is well versed in. As a professional and creative, he is undaunted by a challenge, ensuring that the elevation is scaled with the whole elevation in general as well as allowing the client to retain their home’s privacy. Furthermore, the design of the front door needn’t be a limiter, as these can be either hidden from view or a prominent feature of the front-facing façade, simply down to the wants and needs of the homeowners and the practicality of such designs. An excellent example of Rex Hawkesworth’s work, therefore, is Newgate Lane, Fareham. This house’s reimagined private housing design was created to be a fully matching addition to the road – perfectly mirroring the scale of its neighbour’s front of house in particular – with an obvious entrance that welcomes guests and family members in with a projecting matching feature, lending it a sense of openness. Rex Hawkesworth was in this way able to create a uniformity in the road that Fareham’s residents appreciated. The house also retained the family’s own individuality in specific elements of the design. Another build, the Farlington Avenue property, was a bungalow that Rex Hawkesworth reimagined to allow it to better stand out from its area with a more visible and central entrance that was designed and constructed to put the property front and centre. Moreover, this proved important as the property is one of many bungalows in the surrounding area. As a third example, Rex T Hawkesworth worked on a property in the area of Drayton – a region of steep hills and particularly tricky landscape – which proved a complicated yet satisfying challenge in terms of layout. As another example of a bungalow that he has worked on, Drayton in particular necessitated a more straightforward and yet incredibly well thought out front elevation, hence why the entrance is prominent and yet perfectly to scale with the neighbouring properties. In comparison, the Cosham and Stubbington bungalows were quite a different beast indeed. When approaching these builds Rex Hawkesworth had to consider the length of the build itself, designing it to be elongated in comparison to the others and requiring a combination of windows, front door, and projection in order to combat any dullness. In short, Rex Hawkesworth is expert in simple, effective, socially recognisable designs that are considerate to a neighbourhood and perfect for homeowners in residential areas, and he encourages prospective clients to get in touch post haste to see how he can help them. Company: Rex Hawkesworth Contact: Rex Hawkesworth