Built Works Unveils Bather's Cabin with Mossy Rooftop Retreat in East Sussex

British architecture studio Built Works has completed Bather's Cabin, a woodland retreat in East Sussex topped by a moss-covered roof terrace dedicated to bathing rituals. The cabin is clad in blackened larch and features a rooftop sauna, hot tub, and ice bath. Accessed via a planted roof terrace, the design places the roof level with the top of a steep bank, allowing guests to enter at roof height before descending inside. The rooftop garden uses mosses, grasses, and ferns relocated from the construction site, creating the impression that the woodland floor has been lifted into place. A raised boardwalk floats above the roof garden, guiding visitors through the planting. The tiered facade, inspired by 1960s granaries, is made from locally sourced larch blackened with pine tar. Inside, a cross-shaped plan frames views in four directions, with minimal doors and handmade curtains providing privacy. Materials are natural and locally sourced, including bathroom tiles made by co-director Harry Kay with his family, featuring flower imprints and children's fingerprints. The furniture is crafted from cedar blocks, and the floor is inlaid English oak. UK-grown hemp serves as insulation. Built Works, founded in 2018 by Kay and Will Gowland, also designed Yogi's Cabin and the Drying Shed Sauna for Architects Holiday at Great Park Farm. Photography is by Connor Duffy unless otherwise noted.