This material palette for the new duplex apartment in a 19th Century townhouse explores the balance between history, performance, sustainability and visual richness. Oak, a UK-grown hardwood with timeless and enduring appeal is a unifying material. Solid oak is reserved for the staircase, where structural integrity matters. Carefully detailed open edge treads and riser, structural…
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This retrofit project shows how joinery can become a powerful tool for transforming layout, creating flow and function while respecting the character of the original structure of the Listed Building. Using joinery to form internal spaces, allows the pursuit of fabric-first method with thorough upgrade of the external envelope. Material choices mattered. We used certified…
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The story of this ply staircase-cum-study nook for a Listed Building in Hampstead took over 18 months to unfold. Here is a much quicker version that captures the most significant milestones. Looks so easy, the cat hasn’t even noticed.
The best improvements in building performance often come from things you never see. In our projects we often integrate Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery systems, MVHR in short, delivering constant fresh indoor air while recovering heat that would otherwise be lost. When added to the improvements of building envelope’s thermal performance, MVHR makes the most…
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Post occupancy evaluation is a good test of how well the project responded to the brief it was designed to answer. It also illustrates how the end user interprets the design features and adapts them to their own ways. Most importantly however it gives us architects the opportunity to learn and implement the lessons for…
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Couple of months after the Practical Completion crowned seven long months of a construction site, our 18-month old remake of a Listed house in Hampstead is slowly becoming a well-loved home. It is fulfilling to see clients adding impromptu personal touches to designs we laboured over a long time. Free of the architect-curator, these touches…
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Internal staircases are a spatial device for organising movement but also for defining volume and articulating structure.Our project which has just started on site is a good example. The new staircase maximises usability of the spaces it connects while establishing a clear hierarchy of use within the main living area on the upper level.What appears…
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Bringing daylight into a windowless space is a challenge. More so when the space includes multiple doors, many of which lead to other windowless areas. Instead of relying on the artificial light alone, we opened up the stair wall to help draw light down from the level above. It casts geometric patterns on the floor…
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This study illustrates a newly carved out constricted space with no direct daylight and multiple points of access. Curated with narrow palette of materials and forms, it brings cohesion and sense of calm. We are excited to see it all unfold on site during this Spring and Summer months.
We are wrapping up the perimeters of the grand old space on the upper floor with a ribbon of timber. The wall linings and the joinery send the theme down the stairs into the newly created space below. The cohesive use of material brings a sense of continuity, visually underpinning the spatial connection and reinforcing the dialogue…
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