Dylways

Fun, functionality and sustainability were at the top of our client's priority list when they approached us for their project. Their postwar ex-council house in South East London has a large garden, with the rare advantage of views into open green space beyond. Our brief was to bring the house up to date with the needs of a young family, opening up the kitchen and dining space, but with limited encroachment onto the wildlife garden.

The extension needed to enhance the urban and green environment immediately surrounding this area of SE London, without losing a sense of the quirkiness of the house. Throughout, we aimed to recreate some of the 1950s themes of our clients' home, while keeping our approach fresh, with an emphasis on light-heartedness, sustainability, pragmatism, and simple pleasures rather than luxury fit-outs.

To maintain ecological sustainability, the extension itself was largely built from well insulated timber frame and clad in sustainably-sourced cedar shingles. We installed two types of living roof – one biodiverse 'brown roof' to encourage wildlife and native plant species to establish themselves; and another wildflower blanket roof system.

An integrated raised bed planter sits outside the utility room, while the second phase of landscaping works will include a wildlife pond alongside. Our clients sourced original doors that they had salvaged from neighbouring properties and we also retained some of the original features such as the larder and played on the 1950s theme by installing cork tiles and birch plywood joinery.

Annual CO2 emissions data (requested in kg/m2/year) was not provided.