Slide and Slot House

The terrace is within the Enfield Lock conservation area and is located on a narrow strip of land between the River Lea and Lee Navigation.

The original two-bed house is an unusual double-fronted plan, only one room deep, with no windows to the main rear elevation. The form of the adjacent deep-plan terrace was extended to form a new volume within the void, creating a transition between the deep and shallow plan.

At ground floor, the extension projects to follow the rhythm of the rear garden additions, and maintains gaps on either side to allow a comfortable fit with the adjacent structures. The proposal thereby transforms the house into a three-bedroom house and creates a new relationship to the garden with viewing slots and framed views.

The extension is of a simple contemporary design, used to complement the listed building setting. The principal new material, anthracite zinc, was selected to reference the industrial heritage of the small arms factory, whereby materials were typically transported via the canal adjacent to the factory. The striking juxtaposition of zinc to the existing materials is emphasised through the use of slots of black brick and frameless glass to either side.

The new addition is highly insulated to offset the inefficiency of the existing listed brick structure. It is predominantly a timber-frame structure with a ply grid roof structure from FSC sustainable sources. The zinc cladding has a long life expectancy to offset its carbon impact from the manufacturing process, and is fully recyclable.

Annual CO2 data was not provided