9 Abercromby Place

A key aspiration of the brief was to provide a new ‘glass box’ garden room and create open plan space providing an enhanced connection to the beautiful south-facing rear garden. Furthermore, the brief looked to establish an area of primary living accommodation within the home which could become fully insulated and reduce the building’s heating demand. The extension provides a new garden room living space which forms part of an open-plan kitchen, dining & living arrangement, offering direct access outside via large glazed sliding doors. The doors open up from the corner, allowing the space to become a part of the garden itself, blurring the boundary between interior and exterior space. The scheme is designed with conservation principles at the fore. Elements of significance remain unaltered, and the extension is designed to sit modestly in deferential contrast to the existing listed building. Quartz zinc is adopted to ensure that the extension is read as a contemporary addition to the existing stone building, whilst also providing a muted and appropriate colour palette. Connection to the new extension is formed with a single opening in the existing fabric to minimise intervention that is not easily reversible, whereby the opening size is restricted by use of shadow gap detailing at the rear door. A similar approach is adopted at the junction with the existing stone boundary, which forms a key component of the conservation area. The extension is designed to tuck neatly under the existing boundary, allowing its conservation and resolving party wall considerations. The new addition is ultimately a free standing structure which can be removed in future without significant detriment to the existing listed property.