House 31

House 31, is a 2 storey extension to a Victorian house in a conservation area in Brockley, Lewisham. The brief was to create a vibrant family home with additional bedroom accommodation through the replacement of the damp and cold rear outrigger. The ground floor of the extension contains and open plan kitchen and dining space – with an additional bedroom being created at first floor level. The scheme is composed of a series of horizontal bands formed from microcement – which we have used as a lightweight, sustainable alternative to precast concrete.

The space in between these bands has then been infilled with vertical timber battens. The Siberian Larch panels are splayed to give depth and shadow to the façade and have been left untreated so will silver down over time – minimising maintenance. The bottom microcement band contains a 2 sided window seat and is broken to give access to the dining space. An integrated planter under the first floor window offers the opportunity to introduce further natural colour and texture to animate the facade.

Filling in the previously wasted side-return space has enabled us to create more useable garden space as well as making the house bigger. Internally, birch plywood portals mark the thresholds between the old and new parts of the house. The hacked Ikea kitchen sits on a microcement floor, bringing continuity between the internal and external materials. The dining space is clearly delineated within the open plan space by a frameless rooflight that sits over it.

Photography by Dome photography