Fleet House / Stanton Williams

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Urban repair. A sensitive addition to the Hampstead Conservation Area, Fleet House by Stanton Williams reinterprets the historic Hampstead Village boundary wall tradition into a contemporary domestic concept. The design originates from the idea of re-establishing the lost boundaries which once defined the site at the junction between Admiral's Walk and an almost forgotten historic footpath, while realigning the house with the pavement in continuity with the tall garden wall of the adjacent Grade I listed Fenton House.

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Excavated volume. The conceptual approach excavates the domestic space from its boundary, conceiving the house as a carved volume from which elements are extruded and extracted, through the addition and subtraction of blocks. A change of texture and colour - from a coarse dark brick outer shell to smooth white stucco carved volumes - further reinforces the sculptural qualities.Stanton Williams also created the interiors and bespoke pieces of furniture – working across all scales, from the city to the house, to achieve a cohesive design

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Domestic rituals. Architecture in the case of Fleet House, offers quiet and invisible presence, stepping back to set the scene for the daily rituals of a Swedish-Japanese couple. Natural light and breathing space become key elements of the spatial experience, almost as tangible as the physicality of the house. Materials are natural and tactile. Continuous surfaces in handmade brick, Gneiss stone, stucco and European oak, spread from the exterior into the interior of the house – to offer a sense of serene infinity. Long perspectives and vestibules connect domestic moments – with light always guiding the journey, relating the inside with the outside.

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Environmental performance. Environmental performance and energy efficiency have been key design factors. Fleet House is heated by ground source heat pump supplemented with solar water heating that stores excess summer heat deep underground. The design also features whole-house ventilation with heat recovery, and a rainwater harvesting system for toilet flushing. The predicted Carbon emissions are 40% lower than the Building Regulations maximum and the house has achieved compliance with the Code for Sustainable Homes Level 4 standard.

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