The proposal is for a new-build 4 bedroom family home behind a row of large Victorian houses in the Muswell Hill Conservation Area, north London. The modern, contemporary, open plan upside down dwelling is informed by the steeply sloping site, receding into the bank to reduce its impact on the neighbouring properties whilst embracing and supporting the old large ash tree.
The house is approached between two existing Victorian houses along a long driveway. The proposed home appears as a small, dark, vertically clad single storey volume with veiled windows. This appearance reduces the visual impact and protects the privacy of the occupants and the surrounding neighbours. Upon entering, the two storey space reveals itself through a descending double height staircase top lit by a dramatic long rooflight giving views to the old large ash tree. This storey houses the bedrooms and the entrance hall.
The lower ground space is articulated as an open space made of concrete planes, resisting the forces of the surrounding bank, retaining the ash tree and supporting the lightweight timber construction above. The open plan kitchen, dining and living room revolve around a large private courtyard, with a study, utility and plant room accessed off the main space. A large glass roof over the kitchen creates a strong yet submissive relationship to the large old ash which rises majestically above. The two main roofs of the building are green roofs, promoting biodiversity and improving the neighbour’s outlook.
Edgley Design recently gained planning approval for this modern, open plan five bed family home. The project will replace an existing Edwardian house to make better use of the available floor area and so providing more amenity for the occupants.
The front façade interprets the street’s more traditional appearance in a contemporary way by breaking down its scale with framed set-backs as well as different materialities.
In contrast, the rear façade of the building has a much more modern appearance. The living areas at ground floor level open up to the long stretched rear garden via generous glass and sliding door elements.
A generous staircase, dramatically lit from the very top of the roof, connects the house from it’s basement all the way up to the second floor, which lies within the pitched roof space.
This was a refurbishment scheme in West London. Two old mews houses were completely gutted, leaving only the shell of the white painted brick walls in place. A new basement under the whole house and two small extensions were added. A series of objects were carefully inserted into the shell to reconfigure and unify the two houses into one.
A sculptural hardwood clad staircase hangs in the main light-filled triple height space, wrapping down to create the balustrade of the first floor gallery library. A separate new staircase, made of a board faced concrete spine, with cantilevering steel and hardwood treads, runs up through the house connecting the floors.
This scheme in Surrey involved the ‘upcycling’ of a 1960s house which was in a poor state of repair, remodelling the internal arrangement of the house, reinsulating the envelope, and re-articulating its strong external forms with a reﬂective stainless-steel cladding. This created a stronger connection with the beautiful surroundings both internally and externally.
The building was cold and prone to leaks, with a dysfunctional conservatory that was hot in summer and freezing in winter. A lack of spatial coherence and connection to the surrounding landscape also affected the enjoyment and functionality of the house- in particular the bedroom wing presented an austere blank wall to the garden.
Our initial brief was to rebuild the conservatory and re-zinc the roof, however we advised the client that the same funds could be used to re -imagine the entire house, if the conservatory was demolished and the metal cladding used for the walls instead of the roof.
Despite the disjointed and dilapidated appearance, the underlying forms of the building were dynamic, and we carefully re-articulated these forms, accentuating them by extruding the roof overhangs to create solar shading. The main forms were wrapped in stainless steel to reﬂect the landscape and create a colourful, shimmering, envelope. To the garden elevation, large expanses of glass and a promenading corridor were inserted to improve the connection to the landscape.
The proposal was for a detached 2-storey new build home with a lowered ground floor, creating a sensitively scaled, modern small home which is harmoniously integrated within the existing built context.
The concept was to re-interpret the compositional elements of the Georgian buildings in the immediate context, with a white rendered element forming a base to the building, and a darker brick clad volume to the upper storey which is composed to reflect the proportion and materials of the brick upper stories of adjacent buildings.
For Secret House we were both developer and architect for two new houses on Chapel Market in Islington.
The site is surrounded on all sides by a high wall, and turns in on itself to form a retreat from the lively bustle of the market outside. All that is visible to the visitor is a narrow timber wall and two doors at the end of a long alleyway.
As you enter the house the spaces gradually unfold, first into an open living area, lit by slots of light cut up into the roof. These spaces are finished in natural materials- limestone and walnut- that are inviting to the touch and the barefoot resident. As you step out into the courtyard, bare brick walls and raw timber reflect the industrial history of the site.