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PIMLICO
DATE
2024
STATUS
PLANNING PERMISSION GRANTED
PROEJCT DESCRIPTION
TWO STOREY REAR EXTENSION AND FULL REFURBISHMENT OF A TOWNHOUSE
The proposed project involves the refurbishment of a single private residential townhouse, including the construction of a two-storey extension to the rear of the house. These images solely focus on the new extension, lower ground refurbishment and associated external courtyard works, which is in accordance with the client’s privacy requirements.
The property is a four-storey, 1890's terraced house, typical of nineteenth-century London urban planning. It is situated within a traditional urban block where the architectural emphasis was placed on the front façades, with the rear façades and courtyard areas designed for utility and generally not visible from the public realm.
The property has its original two-storey rear extension located on the lower ground and ground floor levels with a small ‘L’ shape courtyard space wrapping around the existing extension. Due to the adjacent property’s two story extensions and the boundary garden walls, the inner courtyard receives minimal direct sunlight and feels dark and underutilized.
The client’s brief outlined the following objectives:
-
to maximize the usability of the rear courtyard.
-
to provide a generous kitchen with a breakfast area.
-
to create family-oriented and more formal entertainment spaces.
-
to increase natural daylight to the lower ground and ground floors.
-
to incorporate a ground floor study; and include new laundry and utility facilities.
A feasibility study, including sunlight modelling and an analysis of planning constraints, was undertaken to inform the design approach and response.
The design strategy emphasizes optimizing the dual-level courtyard arrangement, improving spatial functionality, and enhancing daylight penetration to the property by reconfiguration of the external spaces to create two distinct yet interconnected courtyards. Those are a lower ground courtyard, which is accessible from the new kitchen, and a raised ground floor courtyard, which is situated between the new ground floor extension and the adjoining property. This ground floor courtyard has been elevated by approximately three metres, enabling it to receive sunlight throughout the day. Both courtyards have a direct access to the primary family and entertainment spaces.
The proposed rear extension at lower ground floor level accommodates a new kitchen with a central island and breakfast area. To achieve a comfortable ceiling height, the kitchen floor will be lowered by two steps. The current ceiling height of 1.90m renders the space uncomfortable and unusable. The kitchen extends into the footprint of the original extension and opens onto the courtyard via full-height, double-glazed folding doors, blurring the boundary between interior and exterior. Off-white brick flooring continues seamlessly between the kitchen and the external courtyard to enhance daylight reflectivity.
The former kitchen area will be transformed into a new open-plan family and dining area, with a new timber staircase connecting to the ground floor. The link between the kitchen and dining space will be widened and topped with a rooflight, situated beneath the new external terrace above.
Existing vaulted spaces beneath the public pavement, currently uninhabitable, will be refurbished and waterproofed to accommodate laundry facilities and a new WC.
The proposed external roof of the lower ground floor extension will form the floor of the new ground floor courtyard, finished in reclaimed grey brickwork to match the proposed extension façade. A window in the rear reception room will be converted into full-height double glazed doors, providing direct access to the terrace and enhancing both views and natural light. Adjacent to the courtyard, a new study is proposed, replacing an existing projecting nib with full-height, double-glazed sliding doors. A fixed glazed corner window will wrap around to the north elevation of the new extension.
The new extension will be clad in reclaimed grey bricks, which continue across the façade, wrapping up and around the sliding doors openings at both lower ground and ground levels. In addition, the masonry, pre-cast concrete elements will form the corner window reveals, lintels, and an integrated bench plinth on the ground courtyard. These pre-cast concrete elements will act as key structural components, supporting the new floor, sliding doors lintels and roof structures. These robust yet refined elements give the rear façade a cohesive and contemporary architectural expression.
The proposed scheme achieves a considered and functional transformation of the lower ground and ground floor areas, fulfilling the client’s brief. Through the creation of well-connected indoor and outdoor spaces, improved daylight/sunlight, and enhanced functionality, the refurbishment will significantly improve the family’s quality of life and unlock the full potential of this traditional terraced home.
The proposed project involves the refurbishment of a single private residential townhouse, including the construction of a two-storey extension to the rear of the house. These images solely focus on the new extension, lower ground refurbishment and associated external courtyard works, which is in accordance with the client’s privacy requirements.
The property is a four-storey, 1890's terraced house, typical of nineteenth-century London urban planning. It is situated within a traditional urban block where the architectural emphasis was placed on the front façades, with the rear façades and courtyard areas designed for utility and generally not visible from the public realm.
The property has its original two-storey rear extension located on the lower ground and ground floor levels with a small ‘L’ shape courtyard space wrapping around the existing extension. Due to the adjacent property’s two story extensions and the boundary garden walls, the inner courtyard receives minimal direct sunlight and feels dark and underutilized.
The client’s brief outlined the following objectives:
-
to maximize the usability of the rear courtyard.
-
to provide a generous kitchen with a breakfast area.
-
to create family-oriented and more formal entertainment spaces.
-
to increase natural daylight to the lower ground and ground floors.
-
to incorporate a ground floor study; and include new laundry and utility facilities.
A feasibility study, including sunlight modelling and an analysis of planning constraints, was undertaken to inform the design approach and response.
The design strategy emphasizes optimizing the dual-level courtyard arrangement, improving spatial functionality, and enhancing daylight penetration to the property by reconfiguration of the external spaces to create two distinct yet interconnected courtyards. Those are a lower ground courtyard, which is accessible from the new kitchen, and a raised ground floor courtyard, which is situated between the new ground floor extension and the adjoining property. This ground floor courtyard has been elevated by approximately three metres, enabling it to receive sunlight throughout the day. Both courtyards have a direct access to the primary family and entertainment spaces.
The proposed rear extension at lower ground floor level accommodates a new kitchen with a central island and breakfast area. To achieve a comfortable ceiling height, the kitchen floor will be lowered by two steps. The current ceiling height of 1.90m renders the space uncomfortable and unusable. The kitchen extends into the footprint of the original extension and opens onto the courtyard via full-height, double-glazed folding doors, blurring the boundary between interior and exterior. Off-white brick flooring continues seamlessly between the kitchen and the external courtyard to enhance daylight reflectivity.
The former kitchen area will be transformed into a new open-plan family and dining area, with a new timber staircase connecting to the ground floor. The link between the kitchen and dining space will be widened and topped with a rooflight, situated beneath the new external terrace above.
Existing vaulted spaces beneath the public pavement, currently uninhabitable, will be refurbished and waterproofed to accommodate laundry facilities and a new WC.
The proposed external roof of the lower ground floor extension will form the floor of the new ground floor courtyard, finished in reclaimed grey brickwork to match the proposed extension façade. A window in the rear reception room will be converted into full-height double glazed doors, providing direct access to the terrace and enhancing both views and natural light. Adjacent to the courtyard, a new study is proposed, replacing an existing projecting nib with full-height, double-glazed sliding doors. A fixed glazed corner window will wrap around to the north elevation of the new extension.
The new extension will be clad in reclaimed grey bricks, which continue across the façade, wrapping up and around the sliding doors openings at both lower ground and ground levels. In addition, the masonry, pre-cast concrete elements will form the corner window reveals, lintels, and an integrated bench plinth on the ground courtyard. These pre-cast concrete elements will act as key structural components, supporting the new floor, sliding doors lintels and roof structures. These robust yet refined elements give the rear façade a cohesive and contemporary architectural expression.
The proposed scheme achieves a considered and functional transformation of the lower ground and ground floor areas, fulfilling the client’s brief. Through the creation of well-connected indoor and outdoor spaces, improved daylight/sunlight, and enhanced functionality, the refurbishment will significantly improve the family’s quality of life and unlock the full potential of this traditional terraced home.