A family home on a sloping site
Completed in the 1990s, the house currently occupying this tight, sloped site has fallen into a state of extreme disrepair. This, coupled with poor floor to ceiling heights and issues with damp, prompted our client to commission the redevelopment of the site to provide a new home for their family. Given its location in the Conservation Area, featuring famed examples of modern residential architecture, MWA felt the site could accept a bold architectural statement. The proposed design provides a large contemporary family home set over four floors, including a swimming pool, gymnasium and large open-plan entertaining areas. Double height voids and sky-lit stairwells connect living spaces at all levels, which open out onto a series of external terraces and gardens.
The façade treatment was conceived as a ‘gilded cage’ set in front of muted black brickwork, providing solar shading and privacy from neighbouring properties, whilst allowing natural light to flood into the building, and opening up views of the dense foliage of the ‘Garden Suburb’. The design was given a unanimous approval by the local council development planning committee.
