This project involved unpicking a recent remodel to adapt the house to meet the needs of the new owners. A grand, south facing semi-detached Victorian villa with a generous south facing garden and historic Spencer Park Gardens beyond.
The house had been comprehensively remodelled in 2016 but the ground and lower ground floors were badly connected whilst the kitchen and living space was pinched. Previous clients Rachel and Heston contacted Steve at Cox Architects to see what could be done to address the key issues.
Questions and Answers
What were the key moves?
The architect unlocked the house’s potential by extending the rear ground floor rooms and linking them to the generous, but under-used, south facing rooms below.
How was it done?
A small rear extension was enough to accommodate a large kitchen and dining area whilst a curved double height atrium space with a dramatic helical stair served to connect the upper to the lower floors.
What were the unique challenges?
Rather than working with the historic building alone the build team needed to understand both the original building and the later remodel. Steel beams, concrete slabs and modern glazing systems had to be removed or reworked along with a veritable spaghetti Bolognese of mechanical, electrical and IT systems.
Who are the clients and what's interesting about them?
Rachel, Heston and their three teenage kids moved only a short distance to the new place from the house they had previously remodelled with the same architect and builder.The positive existing relationship, trust and common vision made a tricky project far easier to complete successfully, on time and on budget.
The X-Factor was...
The helical stair makes such a positive contribution to the everyday act of passage and brings joy to the mundane.
Details for the Archi-nerds:
A helical stair is one which has a void at its centre whereas the more common spiral stair has a solid post in the middle.
57 new structural steel elements were required to realise the extensions and support the existing building.The new glazed atrium has self-supporting curved double glazed corners each nearly three metres in height and weighing more than half a tonne.The lower ground floor living space includes a fully stocked bar with cask conditioned beer on tap!
How long…and how much?
The main contractor completed the building work in 20 weeks.
Excluding the kitchen and garden the building work was completed for a competitive £210/sq m + VAT.
Technical Challenge 1:
The clients needed natural light. A lot of natural light. The best way to get this was with large skylights and these were heavy. Specialist lifting equipment was therefore required to haul each one over the top of the house before being carefully lowered into position.
Technical Challenge 2:
The house had previously been refurbished to a high specification and some key elements needed to be retained. These included underfloor heating, air conditioning and digital lighting systems.
The builders had to carefully work around these elements and integrate them with the new spaces.
Details
Project size: 72 m2
Site size: 890 m2
Completion date: 2023
Building levels: 1
Project team
COX ARCHITECTS
Architect & project manager
Elson Properties London Ltd
Builder
Jonathan Darnell
Structural Engineer
Benjamin Alexander Kitchens Ltd
Kitchen design & build
Tom Massey
Exterior landscaping
Maxlight Ltd
Glazing specialist subcontractor
Stella Rooflights
Glazing specialist subcontractor
MATT CLAYTON PHOTOGRAPHY
Photographer
Here There + Home
Photoshoot stylist
