Arbour House

The project comprised the extension of a 1950’s terraced house to create a more usable kitchen and dining area with a better connection to the rear garden.

Location

London, UK

Sector

Private Homes

Client

Private

Architect

nimtim architects

Status

Completed

Year

2017

Budget

Undisclosed

Photography

Elyse Kennedy

SD Team

Mike Davies

Awards

Don’t Move, Improve! Award 2018, shortlist

Press

Dezeen

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Project tags

The structure was formed with a series of lightweight ‘kebony’ timber portal frames set around a series of openings along the roof and into the rear garden. The timber grid extends both into the garden and into the house blurring the boundary between inside and out.

A beautiful exposed concrete staircase, cast in-situ links the levels together and a sunken concrete pit creates a bespoke and cosy seating area at the lower ground floor. The structural design was fully optimised with 3D modelling and drawing to create a light and efficient structure, and aid coordination with the architecture.

Glazed doors and windows to the back elevation, and skylights along the roof, offer a sense of connectivity between the house and outside, and floods the new space with natural light.

The sustainable Douglas Fir timber portal frames have been left exposed, providing the space with a feeling of naturality and warmth. Due to the structure remaining visible, we worked closely with nimtim Architects to carefully detail the exposed fixings and conceal others.

The new side wall has been reinforced to avoid any return nibs and therefore create clean lines. The project was featured in Deezeen and Houzz and shortlisted for the Don’t Move Improve Awards