Abbey House

London Borough of Greenwich

On site due to complete summer 2023

A typical Victorian house with a small and challenging layout. A thoughtful extension and full refurbishment were required to adapt the century old house for a growing modern family.

The rear ground and first floor extension looks at the predominant rhythm of traditional Victorian extensions and seeks to implement a simplified expression. The external design proposes two simple volumes with the lower ground floor infill set slightly back to allow these volumes to be read independently.

Internally the key client led focus was to maximise the small footprint of the site to augment and amplify the internal communal spaces. The existing staircase was replaced to further open the spaces and a glazed screen removes the narrow feeling the entrance sequence presented. As a result, the ground floor has become a single open plan space which has been carefully divided into more intimate spaces. Generous openings also allow the proposed spaces to be read as individual zones with framed views to the garden.

A contrasting brick was used for the extension which both references the traditional Victorian brick work but creates a modern definition between old and new. Internally a warm material palette was used to both appreciate the Victorian and period features but offset this with some more contemporary design.