Calista, West Parade

ECE Architecture

A striking seafront transformation redefining Worthing’s coastal landscape through contextual design, creating 29 luxury apartments with panoramic sea views.

Working closely with Roffey Homes, our design team maximised this prime seafront location while responding intelligently to its strategic corner position between Grand Avenue and West Parade. The development creates a landmark building that respects its surrounding townscape, with a layout that optimises the site’s potential.

Our design process evolved through rigorous testing of multiple layout and massing options – including slab blocks, stepped developments, and various corner volume configurations. This thorough exploration informed our final approach: a sophisticated 8-storey building with carefully articulated “shoulders” that step down respectfully toward neighbouring properties. The resulting form creates visual interest while maintaining harmony with the existing urban fabric.

Every apartment benefits from generous sea views through large balconies, either recessed or projecting, ensuring residents experience the full benefit of this exceptional location.

The site’s strategic corner plot presented significant challenges, requiring a design that could address and respect adjacent buildings, both the larger seafront developments and Grand Avenue’s traditional domestic character. Our solution evolved through a comprehensive planning journey in collaboration with ECE Planning, including an initial submission, appeal, and revised proposal.

This process led to a refinement in the building height from 11 to 8 storeys – creating an appropriate scale at the seafront while ensuring sufficient separation from neighbouring two-storey properties through thoughtful setbacks in the building line.

Sustainability principles guided our approach from concept to completion. The scheme incorporates a communal garden along the southern boundary, creating a soft landscape buffer between public and private realms, with planting selected to thrive in the marine environment. The building’s orientation optimises passive solar gain, while a highly insulated envelope, improved air tightness, and mechanical extract ventilation reduce energy consumption.

Our collaboration with the contractor resulted in the adoption of an innovative brick slip system that not only accelerated construction but significantly reduced embodied carbon through lower material quantities, a lighter structural frame and reduced transport requirements.

Calista maximises a prime seafront site while creating a building that enhances Worthing’s urban character. The development delivers exceptional living spaces that balance luxury, sustainability, and respectful integration with the existing townscape, creating lasting value for residents and the wider community.