NATURAL WONDER

Recognising the potential in a neglected site, Dan and Nina Rowland created a stunning sustainable home centred on a natural swimming pond

- ALICE HUMPHRYS

Living here feels as though we're immersed in an ever-changing natural environment,' says Dan Rowland, who, with his wife Nina, has designed and built a cutting-edge eco home, complete with a natural swimming pond, in West Sussex.

'It's been a labour of love, but definitely worth all our effort and hard work. One of the most rewarding aspects is seeing our children's faces as they marvel at swallows swooping down to wash their wings in the shimmering water. This unique, close relationship with nature constantly impacts on every aspect of our lives.'

Back in 2015, when the couple's first daughter, Isla, was born, the Rowlands were living in a basement flat in London and longed for more space and an enhanced quality of life.

I'm a huge advocate of biophilic design and how its symbiosis with nature can have a positive impact on the wellbeing of a property's occupants,' says Dan, who studied psychology before branching into architecture. Determined to create their own biophilic home, the pair began scouring the internet for a suitable coastal site.

As soon as Nina spotted details for this plot with its dated 1930s house, an overgrown paddock and large pond, she felt instinctively that this could be the one. It's on the outskirts of Bosham, a village in West Sussex. 'We'd previously visited friends who live nearby and knew it was an unspoilt, beautiful and tranquil area close to Chichester Harbour and the South Downs National Park,' she says.