Located at the southern edge of the Gosport Peninsula, Fort Gilkicker is a 19th-century Palmerston fort forming part of the coastal defence system. Its semicircular battery originally housed artillery and garrison functions, defined by robust brick construction and a highly ordered defensive geometry.

The building presents challenges of restricted circulation, deep-plan casemates and extensive adaptation requirements within a designated historic structure. Maintaining legibility of the original layout while enabling contemporary residential use requires careful negotiation of access, services and spatial hierarchy.

The proposal converts the casemates into contemporary dwellings through minimal and precise intervention. A centralised service core reduces disruption, while strategic stair relocation improves circulation. Historic routes are retained and clarified to preserve spatial logic, allowing the fort’s defensive structure to remain legible within a cohesive residential adaptation.

Material presented here reflects independently developed design work undertaken in association with Deniz Beck Partners.