Cadogan Terrace

Site Overview

Cadogan Terrace is a characterful mid-19th century, three-storey (plus basement) terraced house with a rich architectural heritage. Built in the 1850's, the property combines traditional materials and construction techniques with later contemporary additions, offering a layered and textured architectural narrative.

Constructed with solid brick walls laid in Flemish bond, the house retains many original features, including timber-framed floors and a distinctive butterfly roof, now finished with fibre-cement slates. The internal layout includes a mix of timber-framed and brick or brick-infill partition walls, with the basement spine wall constructed in solid brick.

Over the past 40 years, the house has been extended to the rear with an additional kitchen and a bathroom. These newer areas feature concrete floors, while the original upper storeys remain timber-framed. The butterfly roof appears to be finished with fibre-cement slates whilst the rear extension has a membrane with tiling above. All windows are timber with single glazing and appear original to their time of construction from either the 19th or 20th centuries.

Set on a narrow, rectangular east-west plot, the property benefits from a unique configuration. A portion of land at the rear has become part of the neighbouring property, while an adjacent strip that might traditionally belong to the neighbouring house has instead been incorporated into this one.

The home enjoys excellent natural light, with west-facing views over Victoria Park from the front and attractive vistas of mature trees to the rear. These views, along with access to a small rear yard and a first-floor terrace, offer a rare combination of urban living with green outlooks.

Design Approach

Design Vision

As a former post office and a building approaching 170 years old, this property comes with a number of unique and historic features that, while full of character, don’t always align with the expectations of modern living. Our design approach carefully balances the preservation of its heritage with sensitive, practical adaptations to meet contemporary needs.

Like many buildings of its era, the interior is divided into numerous small rooms. Our strategy involves thoughtfully opening up selected spaces to create a more fluid and generous layout - improving light levels, spatial flow, and connections to the front and rear windows.

Our approach is not to erase the past, but to work with it - allowing the existing fabric to contribute to the identity of the renovated home. We're inspired by the idea that new interventions can sit alongside old materials in honest contrast, celebrating their differences rather than blending them into uniformity. Where possible, we aim to reuse materials already on site, not only as a sustainable choice but also as a way to tell the ongoing story of the building.

Daylight and sunlight are also central to our design. We are exploring ways to introduce more natural light into the home - particularly through a redesigned roof over the rear extension and by opening up the ground floor to create brighter, more expansive interiors that feel connected to their surroundings.

Sustainable Design

Embodied Carbon

Our approach to sustainability begins with a simple principle: to reduce carbon emissions - both operational and embodied - in order to contribute meaningfully to the fight against climate change.

Atmospheric carbon dioxide now stands at 431 parts per million (NASA, 2025), a level not seen in over three million years prior to 1950. The built environment plays a significant role in this crisis, contributing around 40% of global annual CO₂e emissions - with 30% from daily energy use and 10% from the production, construction, and maintenance of buildings.

This project sets out a clear path to reduce both operational and embodied carbon to a minimum - and, where possible, even to become carbon negative through the use of natural, renewable, and reclaimed materials.

What is Embodied Carbon?

Embodied carbon refers to the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the extraction, manufacturing, transport, and installation of building materials. These emissions vary widely depending on the type of material, how it's made, where it’s sourced from, and how it’s transported.

Some key strategies we're applying to reduce embodied carbon include:

• Specifying low-carbon, plant-based materials such as timber, wood fibre insulation, cork, and hemp - which require minimal processing energy and often sequester carbon.

• Prioritising reclaimed materials from the existing building or local reclamation yards, which carry very low or near-zero embodied emissions.

• Selecting manufacturers powered by renewable energy, as even identical products can have vastly different carbon footprints depending on how they're made.

• Sourcing locally, to reduce emissions from transportation.

The Role of Carbon Sequestration

Natural materials like timber and other plant-based products absorb CO₂ from the atmosphere as they grow. When used in construction, this carbon becomes locked into the building fabric, effectively storing carbon within the structure. For example, a solid timber beam may have net-negative emissions when sequestration is factored in.

Our Target

We’re working towards an embodied carbon target of less than 300 kgCO₂e/m², in line with the RIBA 2030 Climate Challenge - and aiming to go beyond that by maximising carbon sequestration. Our goal is to achieve not just net zero, but a climate-positive outcome, where the building stores more carbon than it emits during construction.

Operational Carbon

A key goal of this project is to drastically reduce the building’s operational carbon emissions - the carbon associated with the energy used for heating, hot water, lighting, and appliances once the home is occupied.

Upon completion, the house will be fully electric, drawing power from the UK grid. While current grid electricity carries an average carbon intensity of around 150 gCO₂/kWh (down from approximately 200 gCO₂/kWh just five years ago), this is expected to continue falling as the UK transitions towards net zero. The government has set a target of a zero-carbon grid by 2035, though many industry reports suggest progress remains uncertain.

To prepare for this lower-carbon future - and contribute to it - we are targeting a highly energy-efficient building, aligned with the RIBA 2030 Climate Challenge benchmark of less than 35 kWh/m²/year for operational energy use.

While the energy required for hot water, lighting, and appliances can only be modestly reduced through efficient systems and behaviour, space heating remains the biggest variable. In the average UK home, heating accounts for around 60% of total energy demand - making it the most impactful area for carbon savings. Improving insulation, airtightness, and thermal performance will therefore be central to our design approach.

On-Site Renewable Energy

To further reduce the building's carbon footprint, we plan to install photovoltaic (PV) panels on the south-facing slope of the butterfly roof - an ideal orientation for solar gain. This will allow the home to generate renewable electricity on site, offsetting grid demand and potentially achieving net-positive energy performance over the year.

During winter and at night, the house will draw power from the grid; during sunny days and summer months, it will feed surplus energy back - contributing clean energy to the wider network.

By combining low-energy design, efficient systems, and on-site renewable generation, the project aims to create a home that not only minimises its operational carbon but actively supports the UK’s transition to a zero-carbon energy system.

Other Sustainability Targets

In addition to reducing carbon and improving energy performance, the project embraces a broader sustainability agenda focused on material health, water conservation, and biodiversity.

Healthy Materials & Indoor Air Quality
We are committed to specifying non-toxic, low-emission materials from ethical and environmentally responsible sources. This includes internal finishes such as paints, carpets, and sealants - often the most significant contributors to indoor air pollution. By avoiding materials that off-gas harmful chemicals, we aim to create a healthy indoor environment for occupants, while also protecting the communities and ecosystems involved in material extraction and production.

Water Conservation
Reducing potable water use is a key part of the RIBA 2030 Climate Challenge, which sets a target of less than 75 litres per person per day. This project will meet that benchmark through careful selection of water-efficient fixtures and fittings. In addition, the collection and reuse of rainwater for garden irrigation is being considered. The building’s butterfly roof conveniently channels rainwater to the rear, where a downpipe runs past the first-floor roof deck. This presents an opportunity to install a discreet water vessel on the deck, providing a sustainable water source for plants when needed.

Supporting Urban Biodiversity
Though the rear garden is compact, it still holds potential to support local wildlife. The planting strategy will focus on native species that offer food for pollinators, birds, and other beneficial insects. Biodiversity can be further enhanced through the integration of habitat features such as bird boxes, bee hotels, insect habitats, and bat roosts - either within the planting or discreetly incorporated into the fabric of the building.