Fold House
complete, conservation area, conversion, extension
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Situated in a Conservation Area in Mile End, East London, this project is a sensitive and innovative insertion into the existing terrace fabric. The brief - to separate a family home into two flats for two sisters - demanded the design of a small extension to create a new connection from the upper flat to the garden, while also providing the lower flat with a small courtyard.
The roof of the original extension remains as a ghost, separated by a continuous roof light from the new cladding and roof. This low profiled ‘folded’ roof section was derived directly from the need not to impose on the neighbour’s amenity. Slate to match the existing - this roof folds down into the garden, shifting the geometry from the existing pitched extension to the horizontal along the back glazed facade, where a concealed gutter and downpipe takes the water to a soakaway.
The separation of the house into two flats necessitated some clever detailing and planning to ensure neither homes were compromised.
Materials were chosen which resonate with the area (glazed bricks) and ones which embrace the garden (shingles).
40 Fairford House
Cotton Gardens Estate
Kennington Lane
London
SE11 4HW
tel. 0207 735 5000
