This is a very small but finely tuned garden extension. The existing space was a study but the client wanted a little more space with a stronger connection to their beautiful garden. They also wanted to have a walk-in shower that felt like showering in the garden. We extended the home office into the garden so that the ground level finished level with the re-claimed oak desk and created a frameless corner window. The shower, which projects discreetly sideways from the original space, has a 3- sided full height frameless glass corner and roof providing the sense of being outside. The shower has a secret ventilation door which disappears into the external cladding when shut, but allows the fresh garden air into the shower further simulating the outdoor shower experience. The internal face of the ventilation window is clad in copper which is intended to tarnish and stain the concrete aperture over time.

The project is set within St Mark’s Conservation Area in Hackney, which necessitated a sensitive approach particularly regarding scale and materiality. Externally, the building is clad in black-stained timber in reference to the vernacular shed and garden buildings, which sit comfortably within the landscaping and flora. Internally, the materiality has a much stronger sense of permanence and solidity. Exposed brick connects the extension to the existing ‘Dalston’ house style and the exposed steel work continues in this vein in the main study space. The shower area is formed from in-situ exposed concrete with a pebble tile floor. It is highly textural; akin to showering under a waterfall on the edge of a cave looking out into the landscape. The budget for the project was modest and strict. Connectivity to the garden was key to the success of the scheme, and a sizeable part of the construction cost was spent on glazing. To maximise the impact of the glass to glass corner detail in the study the steel structural frame was designed to eliminate the need for a corner post in this location.