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Location: 130 Hemingford Road, London, UK
Construction cost: £700K
Start on the site date: 11/03/2020
Completion date: 15/01/2021
Gross internal floor area: 260m2
Form of contract: JCT Minor Works
Architects: Architecture for London
Structural engineer: Architecture for London
Main contractor: IC&T Projects Ltd
Photographer: Building Narratives
About Studio
Our aim is to improve people’s lives by reimagining the places in which we live and work. The studio is a collaborative team of architects, and landscape and interior designers. We work at all scales, from furniture to bespoke private homes and commercial developments. We are an RIBA Chartered Practice based in London.
Environmental impact is a key consideration in our work. We take a research-based, fabric-first approach to sustainability that carefully considers the embodied energy of materials and the performance of our buildings in use. Director and architect Ben Ridley is a Passivhaus designer.
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This Grade II listed villa in Islington, London was extended and refurbished to create a home with generous spaces for gathering and family life. The rear extension is designed as a stone pavilion. The agglomerate stone forms a plinth upon which limestone piers rise, forming the structure of the extension.
The natural stone was locally sourced and selected for its low embodied energy. Heavy oak framed glazing follows the proportions of the historic facade with a large pivot hinge door opening onto the terrace. Externally an oversized concrete header was honed to reveal limestone quarried in Derbyshire, its visual weight suggesting permanence.
The existing rear lightwell has been extended to form a stepped sunken terrace of bush-hammered stone appearing to have been carved into a rock face. The terrace curves to follow the sun’s path throughout the afternoon in a series of benches bathed in light. Previously the lower ground floor was divided into smaller dark spaces, which have been opened up and replaced with a kitchen centered around a four-meter-long stone island.
A secluded room for yoga provides a contemplative space, with an expansive view of the sky inspired by James Turrell’s skyspace structures. The bathrooms continue the notion of carved-out spaces. The rich textures of limestone and Tadelakt walls create cave-like monastic rooms dedicated to the daily rituals of ablution.
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