A new house built on a derelict site that had once been the garden of an end of terrace Victorian house.
A memory of the site’s history is worked into the elevations by preserving the height and line of the original boundary; this also protects an important long view across the site from the street. A hinging section of the street wall leads to a courtyard bounded with curving walls intended to draw visitors into the space. The house itself is entered from the courtyard.
The living area is arranged over a split level to allow a degree of separation within a connected space. The basement spaces are arranged to give a sense of perceived distance between parts of the house to counter the compactness of the actual volume.
High ceilings create a sense of spaciousness. Roof lights provide daylight. Sunlight can pass through a glazed slice that cuts the roof and wall of the lower ground floor to reach a basement roof light. The inside face of the street gate is reflective to bounce more daylight into the basement. Glazed internal openings play a similar role.
Internal walls are pale plaster and white timber panelling. Floors are polished concrete with under-floor heating. The planting and hard landscaping on the roofs are designed to give an attractive outlook to neighbours.
The structure is ground granulated blast-furnace slag concrete. The envelope is insulated with Icynene closed cell foam to ensure an air tight vapour impermeable envelope and ventilated using a mechanical ventilation and heat recovery system.