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CLAPHAM COMMON
DATE
2025
STATUS
PLANNING PERMISSION GRANTED
PROEJCT DESCRIPTION
GROUND FLOOR REAR EXTENSION AND FULL REFURHBISHMENT
The existing 1930s simi-detached house has retained much of its original internal configuration, characterized by a series of small ground floor living spaces and traditional upper-floor accommodation. A typical attic extension was added in the early 2000s, introducing a third bedroom and an additional bathroom.
While the upper floors function well for the client, including circulation and accommodation, the ground floor layout presents a major concern. The existing configuration divides family activities across disconnected, enclosed rooms as well as lacks a meaningful relationship with the rear garden. The client’s brief was simple: to improve the functionality of the ground floor and to create a better flow between living areas and the garden.
During our initial assessment, we found the entrance hall and generous staircase to be effective elements worth preserving. These provide good vertical circulation and act as a strong transition space within the ground floor. The proposed intervention focuses on opening up the interior by removing the partition between the two existing reception rooms, forming a larger, more flexible space with improved spatial continuity.
In addition to this internal reconfiguration, we propose a single-storey rear extension that will extend the living space into the garden, housing a new open-plan kitchen, dining, and sitting area.
We were conscious that many contemporary rear extensions disregard the existing building’s architectural language. Both we and the client were keen to avoid an incongruous addition. Instead, we sought to develop a design that responds to the building’s traditional form and proportions while clearly expressing its modernity.
A key architectural feature of the original house is the double-height bay windows on both the front and rear façades. These three-sided bays, with central sash windows flanked by angled side panes, are emblematic of 1930s suburban homes and serve both aesthetic and functional purposes. They bring in natural light, offer expansive views, and provide valuable intermediary space between indoors and outdoors.
Our design takes inspiration from these bay windows to inform the geometry and language of the rear extension. By aligning the new extension’s glazed façade with the original 30-degree angles of the bay windows, we created a full-height, three-sided glass projection into the garden. This not only reinstates the spatial threshold lost by removing the original ground-floor bay window but also reimagines it as a contemporary architectural installation.
The new bay-like projection forms a garden-facing doorway, connecting internal family life directly to the external environment. The roof over this projection is constructed in standing seam zinc—a modern echo of the traditional lead roof over the original bays. Similarly, the external façade features precast textured concrete panels, used consistently on the terrace and vertical surfaces to unify the interior and exterior elements.
We believe the proposed design approach successfully respects and engages with the original architecture while introducing a clear, contemporary addition. It avoids pastiche but instead offers a thoughtful and distinctive new layer to the building’s evolving architectural story.
The existing 1930s simi-detached house has retained much of its original internal configuration, characterized by a series of small ground floor living spaces and traditional upper-floor accommodation. A typical attic extension was added in the early 2000s, introducing a third bedroom and an additional bathroom.
While the upper floors function well for the client, including circulation and accommodation, the ground floor layout presents a major concern. The existing configuration divides family activities across disconnected, enclosed rooms as well as lacks a meaningful relationship with the rear garden. The client’s brief was simple: to improve the functionality of the ground floor and to create a better flow between living areas and the garden.
During our initial assessment, we found the entrance hall and generous staircase to be effective elements worth preserving. These provide good vertical circulation and act as a strong transition space within the ground floor. The proposed intervention focuses on opening up the interior by removing the partition between the two existing reception rooms, forming a larger, more flexible space with improved spatial continuity.
In addition to this internal reconfiguration, we propose a single-storey rear extension that will extend the living space into the garden, housing a new open-plan kitchen, dining, and sitting area.
We were conscious that many contemporary rear extensions disregard the existing building’s architectural language. Both we and the client were keen to avoid an incongruous addition. Instead, we sought to develop a design that responds to the building’s traditional form and proportions while clearly expressing its modernity.
A key architectural feature of the original house is the double-height bay windows on both the front and rear façades. These three-sided bays, with central sash windows flanked by angled side panes, are emblematic of 1930s suburban homes and serve both aesthetic and functional purposes. They bring in natural light, offer expansive views, and provide valuable intermediary space between indoors and outdoors.
Our design takes inspiration from these bay windows to inform the geometry and language of the rear extension. By aligning the new extension’s glazed façade with the original 30-degree angles of the bay windows, we created a full-height, three-sided glass projection into the garden. This not only reinstates the spatial threshold lost by removing the original ground-floor bay window but also reimagines it as a contemporary architectural installation.
The new bay-like projection forms a garden-facing doorway, connecting internal family life directly to the external environment. The roof over this projection is constructed in standing seam zinc—a modern echo of the traditional lead roof over the original bays. Similarly, the external façade features precast textured concrete panels, used consistently on the terrace and vertical surfaces to unify the interior and exterior elements.
We believe the proposed design approach successfully respects and engages with the original architecture while introducing a clear, contemporary addition. It avoids pastiche but instead offers a thoughtful and distinctive new layer to the building’s evolving architectural story.