The narrow deep plan of this tall terraced late 19th century building was ill-suited to its previous use as offices, with its centrally located lift and stair core, pre-determined by minimum escape distances, subdividing the floor plates into small inflexible work spaces.
However, this configuration was ideally suited to the creation of a distinctive residential space, with naturally-lit rooms of domestic scale located to the front and rear, and support spaces located inboard around the retained central stairs and lift.
A change of use was therefore recommended to our developer client and, contrary to local planning policy, planning consent was granted for a luxurious four-bedroom house.
The ‘heart’ of the scheme is undoubtedly the soaring 6m high double-height kitchen/dining space opening onto a newly created ground floor courtyard, allowing natural light to penetrate deep into the plan. An entry courtyard recessed behind a decorative metal screen echoes the proportions of a traditional shopfront and fits well within the Dutch-gabled brick front elevation .
Storage spaces on the lower ground floor have been given new life as a state-of-the art cinema and gym. Sophisticated systems throughout control lighting, AV, heating/air con and blinds via hand-held tablets.
The uppermost section of the building has also been remodelled - the original hipped roof has been replaced in order to create an additional split-level studio floor - with terraces front and rear.
Fastidious detailing and a limited palette of high quality materials, together with a fire-engineered approach to layout (removing the necessity for lobbies), have resulted in a sequence of calm and coherent interior volumes with a seamless spatial flow between the six floors of accommodation.
The client was delighted with the result, saying “The design was inspired and again the attention to detail was so impressive.”
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