Kenworthy Road

The brief was to extend a much loved Victorian terrace to be fit for purpose for a growing family. The finished building provided the family with exactly what they needed; large, bright bedrooms; kitchen with breakfast and dining area opening into the garden; and a striking, modern piece of architecture complementing the existing building.

The existing narrow closet wing was demolished and rebuilt as a lightweight, highly insulated timber frame construction and the entrance relocated to the centre of the plan. A double-height glazed screen was situated to provide a dramatic new entry point as well as providing a clear visual separation between the old and new. The extension was clad with charred cedar boards, treated using a Japanese technique known as Shou Sugi Ban, which not only acted to extend the life of the boards, it also made them much more resistant to insects and decay. By cladding the building in this way, a differentiation between the new extension and surrounding context was achieved.

Timber construction allowed costs associated with structure and groundworks to be kept low and by packing insulation into the timber frame, excellent thermal performance was achieved.