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Architects: Matthew Giles Architects
- Area: 299 m²
- Year: 2023
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Photographs:French + Tye
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Manufacturers: Wienerberger, L2i
Text description provided by the architects. Overlooking the South Park Gardens in Wimbledon, south London, this Edwardian house has been transformed in every possible way. Through a tactile and warm approach to massing and architectural detailing, this bold yet quietly resolving family home now enhances the character of the street and is a contemporary equivalent to the traditional brick homes along Kings Road. The client is a family of four with two young children who approached Matthew Giles Architects to develop designs to extend, remodel and refurbish their home. Having recently purchased a dilapidated building in a part of London they wanted to live in, the client saw an opportunity to create a truly bespoke family home. A schedule of spaces required was provided, and they expressed an interest in modifying the appearance of the building externally while improving the thermal efficiency of their detached home.
Following a study of local Victorian buildings, the architects developed a modern interpretation of the traditional brick homes along Kings Road, re-establishing the design principles of the South Park Gardens Conservation area by reinstating brickwork to all façades in place of white renderings. Replacing the previously unkept garage and half turret is a bold new series of front, side and rear extensions, alongside a new sheltered front porch and a bay window. At the rear, a full-width dormer has drastically expanded the internal living spaces, together with an inset dormer/balcony to the front roof slope which opens out the surrounding park.
A new masonry canopy unifies the front elevation and was designed to emulate traditional brick banding across surrounding Victorian houses. A new sheltered front porch is carefully articulated using heavy masonry elements and poured in-situ concrete, leading the visitor towards the front door. Chamfered edges are a consistent form throughout the home and entice views while reducing the impact on neighbours. A textured limewash process known in Scandinavia as 'Sækkeskuring' was used over the face of the brick to add to the now monolithic appearance. To establish a continuity of language, the rear façade and side elevation treatment feature the same limewashed brick finish – while gutters are concealed behind parapets and deep reveals to create a sense of robust solidity. A first-floor rear bay window is angled away from overlooking neighbouring extensions, enhancing views and privacy, while beneath this within the punctured extension, an internal planted lightwell is positioned between the study and garden-facing seating area to separate work, dining, and lounge – while supporting cross ventilation.
The L-shaped rear extensions make the most of the sunlight throughout the day, and the complete overhaul has resulted in the now warm and bright living space, which centres around connection, quality and texture. Fun is had with a playful kite-shaped roof light and a sculptural, turned oak handrail that signals the passage upstairs. The front chimney breast has been retained, providing a memory of the original house, drawing the eye up through the building. Exposed elements contrast the new building fabric, with a simple interior material palette providing a strong focus on quality and texture – including bespoke joinery throughout designed by Matthew Giles Architects, maintaining a consistency of language internally.
Parts of the front and rear walls have also been retained, along with the first-floor floor structure and as many internal partitions as possible. Moreover, the entire house has been insulated on the outside of the existing solid brickwork walls with an insulated brick slip system, Eurobrick, which offers significantly better thermal efficiency than insulating on the inside with insulated plasterboard. The new EPC score is now 'C' rated - the highest possible rating without renewable energy systems: a radical increase on the previous 'F' rated EPC before the works.
The remodelled Kings Road House is a world away from the building the clients purchased – designed to exacting requirements providing generous living spaces full of warmth and life. The top floor roof space now houses 3 bedrooms and a bathroom with an open mezzanine accessed via the birch ply-lined hallway. The new house does not feel grand, but rather an exemplar of natural, sustainable materials that stands as an ornament for the area. Matthew Giles, Founder & Architect at Matthew Giles Architects, said, "The success of Kings Road is a result of a client who had the vision to support a bold architectural solution to the site constraints. Our whole house retrofit has not only repurposed the best parts of the home and radically boosted environmental performance, but it has also delivered a large new family home full of warmth and life, which sits contextually within the South Park Gardens Conservation area and enhances the local area."
