Brenthouse

This late-Victorian terraced house in Hackney had a truncated rear garden area as a result of an industrial unit that had been build across the back of the terrace. This unusual arrangement called for an inventive solution to make the most of the available space. The ground floor was extended to create a dining area that became part of an open sequences of spaces: original front room (living), back room (kitchen), dining room and yard.

The dining area was treated as a space that bridges the transition from inside to out. It has a polished concrete floor level with the rear yard, exposed brick-tile interior walls, a large glass roof and sliding doors. A planter is recessed into the ground and runs from inside to out, emphasising the connection of the spaces.

A bathroom was added on the first floor and expressed as a hovering brick volume. This was made possible by the construction system which is timber framing covered with brick slip cladding inside and out. This brings the new extension into a harmonious visual relationship with the original terrace whilst providing the walls with seven times the thermal performance of a typical solid brick wall. The bathroom also includes a planter built into the windowsill which provides visual screening from the neighbours behind.

Photography: Arboreal Architecture