Completed : 2022

TEAM

Architect : A-Zero Architects

Giles Bruce, Shoichi Sado, Yasamin Arbabi

Structural Design:

Studio Allen / Simple Works

Contractor :

J&M Contractors

Photographs : Agnese Sanvito

Drawer House

London, UK,

This property built by Barretts Homes in the 1980s, was an uncomfortable home –thin walls through which the neighbours could be heard, draughty and cold in winter. But, as an end of terrace house, it did have the potential for development to the side, and so the owners decided it was worth staying put, and to retrofit and extend.

We imagined the house as a large chest-of-drawers, with the existing gable wall pulled out to the pavement line, and the house interior revealed. In the gap, we proposed a roof -top terrace, replacing the garden which had been lost at ground level and giving views the City of London.

New or old?

The original house, an end of terrace masonry wall construction building on a piled raft foundation was of very poor construction. However the materials of which the house was made had value. Although the clients had originally determined to demolish the house, and construct a new build dwelling at 0% VAT, we were able to help them explore a retrofit option in which equivalent savings could be achieved through material reuse. This approach also brought with it logistical benefits, avoid the requirements for road closure that full demolition would have entailed.

Material reuse

We decided to value the materials that were already on site. The bricks from the side and rear facade of the original Barrett’s Home were carefully deconstructed and set aside. Once the timber frame construction of the new side extension was complete, the bricks were all reused.

The bricks also formed a perforated screen to the kitchen window, a motif that was carried through to the stairwell joinery.

Environment

COntext

Project

Above - the house in its original form, a very generic Barretts Home.

Right : During construction. All the bricks of the original house were built back into the new structure.

Envelope upgrade

The original house had no insulation, it was drafty, and heating bills were significant. However, we had to prioritise what we did to address this, and compromises were made. For example – where the original uninsulated raft slab was retained, a self insulating cork floor was provided in lieu of excavating the whole slab to provide insulation. This is an example of a pragmatic approach which was applied throughout the project.

Services in the house was designed to a high level of co-ordination – particularly space consuming ducts associated with Mechanical Ventilation Heat Recovery. Ensuring that there was full co-ordination was to the benefit of both the system both also to the spatial aesthetic. The low carbon systems are virtally invisible in the house – a testiment to the level of design integration achieved.

Visuals