Hasta La Ideas

A rooftop extension fronted by a grid of metal mesh and glass contrasts with the original brick facade of this building in east London renovated by Duggan Morris Architects (+ slideshow).

Duggan Morris Architects was tasked with adding three storeys of office space to the four-storey Georgian property in London’s Shoreditch. As the building sits within a conservation area, the architects were required to preserve the existing residential facade above the ground floor shopfront.

“The challenge was to retain the domestic scale windows within a commercial office use, as well as to consider the proportional impact and aesthetic quality of the multi-storey addition,” said studio founders Joe Morris and Mary Duggan.

Behind the brick facade, the building has been completely remodelled to generate an interior suited to modern commercial uses. The basement and ground floor are dedicated to retail, but the rest of the floors all provide flexible office spaces that decrease in area towards the top.

The Curtain Road facade features a grid that divides the surface of the extension to correspond with the three bays of the original frontage. Local rights of light required some open sections at the rear to become roof terraces.

A recessed section at the top two storeys reveals a portion of the adjacent building’s flank, helping to anchor the extension into its surroundings and creating a small terrace.

The new facade was designed as a simple arrangement of horizontal and vertical units, rendered in visually lightweight modern materials to create a contrast with the existing brickwork.

“To retain the gravitas and independence of the urban block, the additional storeys are designed with an ambition to achieve a lightweight object quality, restrained from any references to the adjacent heavy masonry structure,” the architects explained.

A combination of bonded glazed units and panels covered in a wavy metal mesh were installed to create a flush surface with minimal jointing and surface detailing.

The metal panels are perforated with a pattern of holes that allows air to flow through and doesn’t obstruct views from inside.

Felt curtains that can be drawn across the large windows create a similar visual rhythm to the undulating surfaces of the mesh panels.

Concrete lintels and cills are painted in a matte finish, as are the window frames. The anodised metal panels have a champagne finish to ensure consistency between the masonry and the new architectural features.

Towards the end of the construction process, a neon lighting installation by artist Tim Etchells was installed in one of the windows, displaying the message “Shouting your demands from the rooftop should be considered a last resort”.

Photography is by Jack Hobhouse.

Here’s a project description from the architects:

Shoreditch office extension

This is a speculative office development generating 20,000sqft (GEA) of retail and work space located at 141-145 Curtain Road, Shoreditch, East London. The project is located within a conservation area defined by Georgian brick buildings and requiring retention of the existing urban block.

The building prior to development was four storeys (G, B+2) in height and is fully remodelled behind a retained brick façade. Above this, three new floors of contemporary office space are added, extending the building to 7 storeys in total, almost doubling the usable area. Planning permission was obtained in September 2011. Construction commenced in November 2012 and completed in October 2013.

The scheme

To generate the required area of 20,000sqft, a further three storeys were necessary within the permissible building footprint which is defined by the alignment of the front facade at street level and the rights of light (RoL) envelope at the rear. There are 7 floors in total (B, G 1-5) diminishing is size as you ascend. Logic and efficiency dictate the plan arrangement. A compact circulation core contains toilets, showers, lift and stair, and is orientated on the tallest side of the building. The offices are maximised with external terraces also carved out of the RoL envelope.

The ground and basement are intended for retail use. As such two entrances at ground level occupy either end of the facade – 141 leading to the upper office levels and 145 directly into the retail unit. Ultimately the building is flexible and can accommodate a single or multi tenant let. To retain the gravitas and independence of the urban block, the additional storeys are designed with an ambition to achieve a lightweight object quality restrained from any references to the adjacent heavy masonry structure. Scale references to the adjacent buildings window punctuation are stripped back by reducing the extension to optimum modules horizontally and vertically. The materials are reduced to mesh and glass with minimal panels and visible jointing. The lack of reveals to windows are intended to further communicate the delicate object form by disguising the depth or make-up of the construction.

This object quality is further reinforced by the deep recess to the upper 2 storeys. By revealing a portion of the existing brick flank to the adjacent building block (139 Curtain Road) the weight of the existing fabric is further communicated. This obviously reduces nett lettable area but is counterbalanced by a maximised envelope to the rear. Also the precise fit of the building between party walls without visible overdressing of flashings is intended to allow the extension to read as an independent form intended to appear simply resting ‘upon’ the facade below and ‘between’ the adjacent warehouses. A 50mm gap is detailed between the existing masonry and the extension and projecting copings are omitted in lieu of self-draining window sections.

A grid is imposed on the front facade to respond subtlety to the 3 bay house facade below. The plot is trapezoidal in plan and as such a diagonal grid sets up positions of facades and balustrades to the rear. The grid is further enforced at the rear, with smaller staggered terraces, articulating the building where the mass responds to a RoL envelope. Thus a proportional logic of panel size – mesh and glass – is utilised across the facades with the positions of balustrades also defined by the RoL envelope.

Materials & colour

The visible facade is made up of mesh and large bonded units. The principle behind the entire facade construction is to use a simple curtain walling system where possible, with bespoke inserts to achieve the non standard details. The bonded glazed units are tied back to the main super structure. The mesh is bracketed off the curtain walling to meet the same plain as the bonded units and to achieve the flush outer layer. This principle continues around the entire facade front and rear. In order to maintain a reading of the building as a whole the colour palette is carefully calibrated to respond to the masonry tones from grey concrete mortar to mid brown bricks. The reflectance of the materials increases as you ascend to sky and the textural quality of each material selected is emphasised by various means.

A champagne coloured anodised metal panel is used for the mesh on the upper storeys. This is perforated with small holes achieving 40% free air flow and is also calculated to appear almost invisible from the inside to retain views across London. A waved profile adds another layer of light quality maximising incident sun throughout the day. The anodised surface is iridescent in sunlight.

The transition from the mesh to the glazed bonded panel is carefully managed by introducing a matching fritt within the double glazed bonded unit. This softens the overall appearance of the glass which would normally be a contrasting frame and fritt colour. Felt curtains have been introduced to the larger windows fronting onto the street to extend the waved mesh detail across the entire facade. The brick has been lightly cleaned and repointed where spalling with the intention to retain the relic with minimal surface alteration. All concrete lintels and cills and window frames are painted a matt colour to match the brickwork attempting to simplify the reading of the retained element.

At ground level the shop front is framed in concrete supporting the building mass above. The glass panels within being as large as is permissible with the constraints of the tight street and working zone. Again a fritt has been selected to match the concrete colour to soften the junctions. The colour treatment stops at the facade. As a rule the entire office units are white including light fittings and all exposed services.

Theatre

The building has been a challenge in many respects mainly imposed by the condition to retain the existing facade. To an extent the process to retain it required extensive counter intuitive construction works. The delicate quality of what is deemed to be ‘permanent’ and of historical value has been exposed through the very process of having to retain it. An installation by Richard Wilson at Liverpool Biennial 2007 entitled ‘Turning the place over’ played on this very condition. A permanent gritty piece of city fabric is explored as an adaptable component. An abstract portion of the facade was mechanically rotated exposing the inside.

Similarly, this revelation of the building fabric became an interesting part of the construction journey that was to be capitalised upon particularly given the visibility of the works from the street and the opportunity to promote the building as a theatrical contribution to Shoreditch, perhaps calling out to a particular tenant typology or exposing a opportunity to use the building in an unconventional way. The construction works required an oversized steel temporary structure to protect the facade from falling which needed to be pinned back to the superstructure. The entire shopfront below was removed leaving the brick facade suspended to allow alterations to take place behind it. Due to the close proximity to the street and the restrictions imposed by the Olympics 2012, temporary scaffolds and coverings were kept to a minimum thus the entire build process was evident throughout the construction phase. Due to the size of the bonded panels a complete weekend closure of Curtain Road to permit safe cranage positioning and installation was necessary.

An installation by Tim Etchells was exhibited to expand upon the theatrics. The piece was installed for 6 weeks from September to October 2013. The neon piece entitled ‘shouting your demands from the rooftops should be considered a last resort’ was selected for its obvious irony in the context of imminent marketing of the building, but also to demonstrate the opportunity to use the high level glazed pods for exhibition. The neon had the obvious benefit of retaining visibility during the dark early evenings.

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block in Shoreditch with metal mesh appeared first on Dezeen.

A converted nineteenth century farm building once used for drying hops has been nominated for the RIBA Manser Medal for the best new house in the UK, following a renovation and extension by architects Duggan Morris (+slideshow).

Set amongst the agricultural fields of East Sussex, the restored buildings of Old Bearhurst include the brickwork oast house, with its two circular towers and pointed cowls, and a timber-clad barn.

The architects constructed a single-storey extension to tie these two structures together, but set the floor of the building slightly below ground level to prevent the new roof rising above the eaves of the oast towers.

Roughly sawn green oak clads the exterior of the new block, which accommodates a kitchen, living room and playroom for the client’s growing family.

Utility rooms are sunken by another half a storey to separate them from the main domestic activities.

Only the original buildings feature a first floor, creating bedrooms and bathrooms at opposite ends of the house.

Concrete floors dominate at ground floor level, while timber lines the floors and surfaces of rooms upstairs.

Last year Duggan Morris were awarded the RIBA Manser Medal for the renovation of a 1960’s residence.

This year they face competition from four other projects, including a holiday home from Alain de Botton’s Living Architecture series.

See more projects by Duggan Morris Architects on Dezeen »

See more stories about houses »

Photography is by James Brittain.

Here’s some text about the project from Duggan Morris:

Old Bearhurst involved the extensive remodelling of a two century old Oast House to provide space to accommodate the client’s growing family. The scheme included a complete overhaul of the existing barn and roundels as well as the construction of a new annex.

The building is set within agricultural land and defined by an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, which has drawn out a unique response to the topography, landscape, history and setting.

Site plan – click above for larger image

The project was aimed at creating a unified series of flowing, contemporary spaces, allowing a greater degree of flexibility, linking internal spaces to the impressive rolling fields to the south, and the higher meadow land of the north. Equally, the brief called for a building with character and personality, respectful of the existing Oast house, and taking advantage of the views and surrounding environment.

Ground floor plan – click above for larger image

A key objective of the brief was to ‘rediscover’ the integrity of the building through careful observation and research where new additions and alterations would work harmoniously to create a new envisioned whole.

First floor plan – click above for larger image

However, the core ambition of the scheme was to create a dwelling which, over time, would come to reflect an exemplar approach to contemporary rural renovation work and to create a flexible living environment for the growing family within the exceptional surrounds.

Section – click above for larger image

Section – click above for larger image

Section – click above for larger image

North elevation – click above for larger image

South elevation – click above for larger image

The post Old Bearhurst by
Duggan Morris Architects appeared first on Dezeen.

A 1960’s residence renovated by London architects Duggan Morris has won the RIBA Manser Medal 2011 for the best new house in the UK.

Located in a conservation area in north London, the two-storey Hampstead Lane house is constructed from fair-faced concrete blocks, which the architects cleaned and restored.

The original aluminium-framed windows have been replaced with similar alternatives and a new steel structure replaces previous load-bearing internal walls.

A new blanket of sedum covers the roof, which was also repaired.

Previous Manser winners include an extension to a mill-keeper’s house and a seafront timber residence.

Photography is by James Brittain.

Here’s an account of the project from Duggan Morris:

Hampstead Lane

Background, Site, Context and Planning Considerations

Highgate is one of the most expensive London suburbs in which to live with an active conservation body, the Highgate Society, engaged in the protection of its character. This building, a low rise modernist property built in the 1960′s, was designed and built by a well-known local architect couple, who had lived there throughout the remaining years of their lives; Douglas Stirling Craig and his wife Margaret.

Stirling worked for Coventry City Council, Stevenage Development Corporation, and with Margaret, set up architectural practice in the late 1950′s completing a number of notable projects for a number of private residential clients adopting a Brutalist style of exposed surfaces inside and out. This approach is clearly evident in the design of 3A Hampstead lane built by 1968.

The Original Building

The original building, featured 4/5 bedrooms, along with reception rooms, a kitchen, dining room, utility room, two bathrooms, an integrated garage, and a 60ft garden overlooked by a glass-dominated rear of house. The primary palette of materials consisted of a light coloured fair faced blockwork skin (inside and out) with a silver sand and white cement mix, punctuated with mill finish aluminium window frames and coping with flush pre-finished white hardboard faced doors to the front and flank elevations. To the rear, the primary material was glazing again in mill finish aluminium, with panels over in a clear laquered birch ply, whilst the window surrounds were completed in a plain deal pine and the window cills in mahogany.

Internally the floors were a white flecked vinyl asbestos tile. All the interior joists and woodwork were in plain wood, except for the top of the T and G planking on the 1st floor. There were no skirting boards or door trim and the only places with a dropped ceiling were the kitchen, entry and utility room. The original heating was under-floor electric embedded in the screed.

Introduction to the Project

In winter 2008 Duggan Morris Architects were invited to consider proposals for the refurbishment of a house in Highgate Village on the north-eastern corner of Hampstead Heath. The building was however, no run of the mill Georgian Villa, but a late 20th Century Modernist building, designed in the brutalist style, by a well-known local architect. The clients were themselves also highly successful Architects, working on national and global stages for separate well known practices, but with too little time to develop the designs for the project themselves.

The tri-part involvement of three generations of architects on such a humble building seems highly relevant in the current political, economic, and environmental climate. It seems appropriate to state that the importance of good design cannot be overlooked in this respect. Brutalism continues to influence current generations of architects, whilst much of the public and indeed central government continues to chastise the movement for its perceived failings. In this case, a building which has clearly contributed in a unique way to the local conservation area has been saved from demolition by the enthusiasm and foresight of an informed client and design team.

The Brief

Working closely with the client in a highly collaborative manner, a brief emerged which sought to carry out a full ‘renovation’ of the building fabric, whilst also intervening carefully to create a contemporary dwelling, of a more fluid arrangement of spaces, rather than the celluralised original. The brief also sought a greater connection of the living spaces to the gardens, which themselves would be completely redesigned. At roof level, it was intended to replace the existing membrane with a modern version, whilst the services were completely overhauled to modern day standards.

In addressing the building, the design team has taken a measured approach to the condition of the as found, aiming to retain and re-use wherever possible, removing only the surface layers of detritus and cladding which has accumulated over the years.

The design of the scheme thus is perceived as a ‘renovation’ rather than a refurbishment, with most of what we found remaining in-situ. Thus the external skin of blockwork has been renovated through a painstaking exercise of washing and scrubbing and repointing to ensure a further 50 years of life. The roof membrane was retained and repaired and a new sedum blanket of plug planted specimens added over, creating a mini eco system for local wildlife. The landscape too has been added to, rather than removed with a large number of mature trees added to front and rear.

Internally things like the stair, balustrade, floor boards (first floor) and most of the original doors have been retained and reused. Where we have adapted and altered space, we have done so sparingly and simply. The main overhaul was the ground floor slab replaced with new insulation, screed and a wet underfloor heating system connected to a new energy efficient boiler.

In the main, what we have done is simple, light but aimed at a general improvement of the environmental condition and performance.

The Interventions

The renovation works focussed on retaining the integrity of the original house, through extensive research and analysis of historic documents, drawings, photographs and archived material.

Much of the work involved a cleaning and restoration process for the exposed block work, whilst the glazing system was designed to closely accord with the original single glazed system, but achieving modern standards and U-Values.

Where interventions to the layout of the internal spaces has been required, this has evident through the clear communication of new structural elements; a new dark grey steel frame which spans the key spaces, in place of previous load bearing walls. The project also includes a full integrated scheme for the landscape, which now has a greater connection to internal spaces.

Summary of time-table
Commissioned: February 2009
Negotiated Tender: July 2009:
Construction: Sep 2009
Completed: July 2010