Sanei Hopkins Architects has designed the Housestead family home in Suffolk, England.

Housestead is a self-built, ultra-low-energy family home in Suffolk, reinterpreting the rural farmstead typology with distinct, climate-responsive buildings nestled in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Designed and self-built by Sanei Hopkins Architects as their own home, it reinterprets the traditional English farmstead as a contemporary, extraverted cluster of buildings for living, sleeping, working and utility.

Each block responds to solar orientation and use, featuring thatch, timber and integrated renewable systems.

The project prioritises ultra-low operational energy, local materials and ecological enhancement, achieving an EPC A rating and negative carbon emissions – while embodying long-term, site-specific sustainability that celebrates outdoor living, heritage and architectural innovation.

This project has been longlisted in the house rural category of Dezeen Awards 2025.

Studio: Sanei Hopkins Architects
Project: Housestead