HIGHBURY, LONDON 2017
MANSARD RETROFIT
The concept was to design a new 3 story house over a renovated 2 story garage that responds and fits in to its immediate environment but at the same time has a strong design language and identity. Volumetrically, the building mimics a Victorian terrace house with a main body and a rear extension creating a courtyard at the rear of the property. The house is carefully designed to maximise daylighting.
Materiality is explored in different areas of the project. The courtyard in the rear is clad with a metallic cladding system of alloyed copper sheets in gold finish to bounce afternoon light onto the bedrooms late afternoon. The front facade is clad with oversize handmade pewter tiles. The handmade tiles have an iridescent colour but at the same time they are a quite neutral material.
Volumetrically, the folded down mansard picks up the line of the terrace. Internally the key feature is a 10m forced perspective hall / living room. The space leads to a landscape window creating a panorama out of the garden. The stairway is a grand vertical void in the middle of this building allowing light into the communal areas.