The enlargement and refurbishment of a 19th century mews house located in the Queens Gate Conservation area of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London.
The primary aims of the project were to create more high-quality floor area, introduce ensuites to all bedrooms and bring as much daylight into the house as possible. To these goals the layout was completely replanned internally, a full-footprint basement extension was excavated, and a new articulated façade was introduced to the front elevation.
As the mews property was single aspect (only having windows on the front elevation), our first design move was to relocate the stairwell to the rear of the property and position a very generous rooflight above. A lightweight staircase formed of perforated metal sheet maximised the amount of light that permeated down to the lower floors. Our second move was to install a timber framed glazed wall to the ground floor elevation with an area of glass flooring behind to allow daylight down into the basement below. A bespoke system of motorised vertical timber fins was developed to control light, privacy, and visibility while respecting the elevational language of the mews.
The overall material palate balanced bright, clean whites with subtle, natural tones. Bronze-burnished timber floors complement the metallic grey-gold finish of the staircase. The ground floor featured a white poured concrete floor and white-oiled oak joinery. Bathrooms and ensuites were finished in warm natural stone and seamless Corian.
Being a located in a Conservation area, great care was taken with the design and detailing of the front elevation. The solid elevation timber with fanlights above matches through with the neighbouring elevations and stops the property from feeling too domestic, while the openable fins ensure the ground floor and basement can be filled with daylight. Other Hatterwan projects involving listed buildings and conservation areas can be seen here.
The basement construction presented a particular challenge due to a high-water table and the presence of gravel deposits. The excavation was successfully completed using a combination of continual pumping and resin injection to stabilise the ground, resulting in an impressive ceiling height of 3 metres. Another Hatterwan project involving basement works can be seen here.
Main Contractor: 33 London
Basement Contractor: Abtech Basements
Architect: Hatterwan Architects
Structural Engineer: StructureMode
M&E Engineer: The Barn Partnership
Party Wall Surveyor: Marc Newton Associated (London)
Facade Fabricator: Suffolk and Essex Joinery Ltd
Stair Fabricator: Diapo Staircase
Photography: Hatterwan Architects