30 Abbey Road

The existing dwelling is split over 5 levels with a central staircase connecting various split floor plates. The exterior is characterised by red brickwork with stone detailing under a plain tiled pitched roof and strong, decorative barge-boards. The site slopes steeply from the main highway, ascending to the Malvern Hills behind, and is surrounded by a dense arrangement of substantial Victorian housing. Nestled against the hills, the new extension draws in maximum light to a previously dark area of the house. The new scheme’s first move was to reduce the floor level in order that all principle living spaces align. This creates a new lobby, serving as a transitional space from the Victorian house into the new kitchen and dining area. The extension frontage is inspired by the original Victorian stone mullions to the living room bay window. These are tall, slim, and square in plan, with sash windows set behind, producing an elegant depth to the façade. The new mullions, while similar, are cast in concrete, are taller and more closely spaced with fixed, frameless glass set behind up to a height of nearly 4 metres. The sill level is dictated by an existing stone string course which creates a proportionate upstand providing privacy at the front door. Likewise, the new windows terminate beneath the upper stone string course, allowing the new building to sit comfortably next to the host dwelling. To the rear of the property, a set of sliding doors opens onto a new sunken courtyard space which allows views through the kitchen space to the frontage and maximises east light. At the transition point from parapet to pitched roof, a frameless rooflight cuts through the building to dramatic effect.