Camden project
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This projects meets the different needs of two separate clients, across two flats – one above the other – through one imaginative and coherent design for a three storey rear extension
The ground floor client wished to extend on two floors to improve a restrictive layout and natural light. The upper neighbour saw an opportunity to build on top. The project was delivered as one coherent design and construction process, saving on cost and disruption. It demonstrates a cooperative approach to extending shared buildings which could be applied to many sites across London.
The composition of the rear facade has a strong language and the separate ownership is not read in the architecture. Uncut bricks in a stacking bond emphasize this with clean vertical lines. Grey engineering bricks are used to compliment the London stock and reference the walls of the large railway cut adjacent to Mornington terrace. Salmon pink aluminium panels add a playful splash of colour to the facade. A reconfigured stair and clever split-level, limited to 600mm, opens up the ground floor and avoids breaking the space with handrails and balustrades.
Instead the spaces flow into one another providing visual connections, places to sit, and a strong relationship to the garden over multiple levels. The design plays with light, using a mirrored lightwell to bring light into the master bedroom, while purposefully preserving darkness in the en-suite with rich indigo plaster and dark volcanic tiles. In the upper flat, a large roof light allows light to flood into the space and creates fantastic views up to the sky from the garden.
Photography by Charles Hosea
Data
- Begun: Apr 2018
- Completed: Jan 2019
- Floor area: 140m2
- Sector: Residential
- Total cost: £225,000
- Funding: Private
- Tender date: Nov 2017
- Procurement: JCT MW16 / traditional
- Address: Mornington Terrace, London, NW1, United Kingdom
Professional Team
- Architect: ZCD Architects
- Client: Private
- Structural engineer: Blue Engineering
- QS: Morgan Carr
- Main contractor: ASAP Construction
- Cost consultant: Morgan Carr
Suppliers
- Selected subcontractors and suppliers: Flooring: Admonter, Worktop: Richlite, Glazing: Maxlight and Idealcombi