Our main priority is helping clients make great architecture that serves their needs and responds in a vital way to its context and cultural surroundings. In order to do this and to further the studios own knowledge base we invest in a wide programme of research which enables us to be inventive and to find new and sometimes unexpected solutions to the problems that we are posed.
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We work in collaboration with like-minded consultants in order to further our thinking and skill level and since our inception, we have always looked to develope concepts grounded by good research that have a light touch on the planet, are low in carbon and energy-use. We look to our research to help us and our clients mitigate the impact of climate change.
42 TR
42TR is a refurbishment and extension to a semi-detached house near Kingston. The site is in a low-density residential area, with the surrounding suburbia being largely made up of 1.5 to 2.5 storey family homes. Many of these are detached and semi-detached, and, although there is not a defined area appraisal for this location, there is an identifiable material palette of white render sat atop a base plinth of brickwork with clay tile roofs. Also featuring strongly are timber detailing elements and Herringbone brickwork infills, all of which form a local vernacular and identity.
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From the street, the proposed frontage will mirror the adjoining neighbour in terms of its scale, massing, and material palette. It will remain sympathetic to the streetscape and is seen to tie-in seamlessly with its surroundings. The windows will be replaced like-for-like, and the existing dwelling reinsulated and re-rendered as part of the works. The rear extension will be more contemporary in its architectural design but remains sensitive and harmonious in its material choice. A Herringbone brick has been chosen, complementing the existing red/brown roof and brick detailing colour, thus creating cohesion between old and new.
The ground floor plan is now able to boast an interchangeable office-cum-bedroom space overlooking the new internal courtyard. Making this a flexible space, while also proposing a new ground floor bathroom, will be of considerable significance to the clients as they age and their needs change. It is a design move that secures their future in their much-loved home. The existing outgoing reception room in this location will not be lost either as a new kitchen/living/dining space is proposed to the rear of the property.
The ambition is to develop a sustainable home by improving the internal living spaces, whilst also adding two-storey side extension and ground floor rear extension to create a much improved four bedroom home overall. The proposal seeks to build a new two-storey hipped pitched-roof side extension on the footprint of the outgoing garage that extends to the rear of the existing property. This will be accompanied by a full width rear extension to the ground floor, complete with a small internal courtyard to provide an abundance of natural light to the surrounding spaces.
Date of completion: 4th Quarter 2024
Total Cost: £250k - £500k
Gross internal Floor Area: 120sqm
Client: Confidential
Structural Engineer: Cogley Structures
Party Wall Surveyor: Petr Barry Chartered Surveyors
Visualisations: WR-AP
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