This private residential project is situated within the conservation area of North End, Hampstead, on a constrained and secluded plot to the rear of a part 17th century listed cottage, near the famous Old Bull and Bush. As such any intervention on the site had to be handled extremely carefully to respect the existing historic structures and the sensitivity conservation area as a whole.
The character and charm, or genius loci, of the site was provided by an existing pond and two mature trees. The forms of the building design, which is unashamedly modern, was therefore shaped so that the trees were retained and the living spaces and the memory of the pond, that , in the proposals, became the organising principal, the heart of the house, around which all other spaces were arranged.
The scheme consists of two stories set low into the landscape. The basement rooms are made light and airy but the introduction of double and triple height lightwells that provide natural ventilation and daylight and essentially breathe life into the rooms. In addition these courtyard spaces are arranged to provide unexpected and long views, making the house feel extremely spacious despite being, in large, part subterranean.
The rendered form and materiality of the house is deliberately homogenous to provide a sculptural quality that responds to the changes in light during the day and seasons. The design has a calm, serene quality that provides a perfect respite for the house owners and their young child.
The basement was constructed using a reinforced concrete, box-in-box construction, so that the living spaces are acoustically isolated on rubber mounts from the basement excavation. This provides theatre-standard acoustics ensuring that the northern underground railway line, set deep below the house, cannot be heard or felt. The mass of the building, which is highly insulated, is intended to act as a thermal store to maintain consistent internal ambient temperatures and reduce energy use. ‘
