Hasta La Ideas

London studio PATALAB Architecture made the most of the space inside this awkward-shaped residence in the north of the city by running a staircase along the entire rear wall and adding a door that folds around a corner (+ slideshow).

PATALAB Architecture inserted the two-storey apartment into the converted upper levels of a historic shop building in Hampstead Village. The team planned the interior as a series of tiers, hence the name Cascade House.

The first step in the renovation was to add an extra storey at the rear of the building. The architects then created a long route that leads directly from the entrance all the way up to this new top level, allowing it to function as both corridor and stairwell.

Skylights bring natural light into the stairwell, while inside walls are lined with pine panels that have been sand-blasted and stained black.

“This was one of our most challenging design projects in terms of creating a sense of space at a very confined site in a listed building,” said studio founder Uwe Schmidt-Hess. “By introducing the internal timber panelled staircase facade and creating a very intense spatial sequence, the apartment feels much bigger than it actually is.”

The timber staircase treads are also stained black, as are floors throughout the apartment, helping to create a sense of unity through each of the spaces.

Upon entering, the first room to arrive at is the combined living room and kitchen. The unusual door sits at one of the corners of this space, comprising two halves that concertina into the wall so that they don’t get in the way when open.

There’s also a window between this room and the stairwell to help light filter between the two spaces.

Here’s a project description from the architects:

Cascade House

‘Cascade’ staircase and right-angled door boost the sense of living space at a listed building conversion in Hampstead Village, London.

Building a luxury two-bedroom apartment as an extension to the modestly sized dimensions of an existing retail premises in this Georgian building in the very heart of London’s Hampstead village, while providing occupants with a heightened sense of living space, was the design challenge for PATALAB Architecture.

The Grade II listed building, on the corner of Hampstead High Street and Perrin’s Court, consists of three storeys of floor space. The rear of the building extends to two floors. The design solution for creating a two-storey dwelling and giving it a feeling of enhanced space was to create a new mansard-roofed third storey at the rear of the building. This has maximised the headroom in the new living room/kitchen area inside while minimising visual mass externally, thereby satisfying the listed building requirements of the local planning authority.

A new access staircase for the apartment runs for most of the building’s depth, at the back of the new accommodation, adding to the sense of space. There is a short, right angled turn at the foot of it, leading to the street entrance door. The visual effect of the continuous fall of black-stained timber staircase treads, together with the double storey living space, has given the new dwelling its name, Cascade House.

The staircase is well lit by roof skylights and has a grain textured facade of pine panels one side of it which has been sandblasted to enhance the surface texture and stained black to increase the graphic effect. This gives an impressive, continuous, feature-like quality to the entrance space.

The sense of space has been further enhanced by the creation of a right-angled entrance door to the living room/kitchen area, an unique design feature. An internal window in the living room wall provides extra daylight exposure to the stairwell, as well as providing a double light aspect to the living space.

The post Long staircase spans converted London
apartment by PATALAB Architecture appeared first on Dezeen.

Hidden at the bottom of a London garden, this glowing shed by British studio Weston, Surman & Deane was designed as a writing retreat for an author (+ slideshow).

Weston, Surman & Dean was asked to build a studio that reflected the client’s passion for children’s literature and mythology, and responded by creating a whimsical cabin that features a back-lit facade.

The inner facade of the Writer’s Shed is shingle-clad with a glazed sliding door that opens out to a covered veranda facing back towards the house. A cedar screen fronts the veranda and gaps between the narrow slats allow light to shine out at night.

The architects said that the wood was chosen for its reliance and sensitivity to ageing, “complimenting the role of the shed as a place of changing ideas and production.”

Tucked away behind the cedar frame are logs to be used in the wood burning stove that heats the shed, which sits on concrete paving slabs and leans against the gable wall. Oiled chipboard bookcases for the writer’s library fill the space around it and painted pine boards cover the floor.

A reclaimed sink with garden taps and a brass splash back sits on one of the shelves.

A large skylight in the asymmetric pitch roof above fills the workspace with natural light.

Weston, Surman & Deane, also known as WSD Architecture, was launched by three Royal College of Art architecture graduates after they completed their first project, the Royal College of Art Student Union Cafe.

The Writer’s Shed is one of 24 projects shortlisted for the AJ Small Projects Award 2014. The winner will be announced next month.

Here’s a project description from Weston, Surman & Deane:

Writer’s Shed

WSD Architecture were commissioned by an author and illustrator to design & build a ‘writer’s shed’. Capitalising on their multi-disciplinary backgrounds WSD acted as designers, project managers, and lead contractors.

The design responds to the client’s passion for children’s literature and mythologies.The space is conceived as a haven in the city; a fairy-tale hut at the bottom of the garden where the client can retreat and immerse himself in his work.

Externally, the glowing cedar facade, shingle cladding, log store and chimney all play a part in creating this world. Inside, a large north-facing skylight floods the workspace with natural light. On the gable wall, a bookcase meanders around the wood burning stove, providing a centre piece for the client to store his library of books. Looking back out over the garden, the glazed sliding door gives onto a covered verandah – a space perfect to enjoy the very worst of the British weather.

In February 2014, Weston Surman & Deane were short-listed for the Architects’ Journal Small Projects Competition 2014.

Budget: £31,000
Client: Private
Location: Hackney, London
Architects: Weston Surman & Deane Architecture Ltd.
Lead Contractors: Weston Surman & Deane Architecture Ltd.

The post Light glows through the cedar facade of
Writer’s Shed by Weston Surman & Deane appeared first on Dezeen.

Glazed panels create views between the floors of these two Edwardian townhouses in London that have been renovated by local architects Studio Octopi to accommodate resident artists (+ slideshow).

By connecting two neighbouring properties, Studio Octopi has doubled the residency capacity of non-profit arts organisation the Delfina Foundation from four to eight, making it London’s largest artist residency provider.

The architects responded to a competition brief aimed at retaining the residential character of the townhouses by focusing on the central role of the hearth. They preserved existing fireplaces on the ground floor, as well as recesses and hearth stones in the artists’ private areas on the top two storeys.

Other original details, including brickwork and concrete lintels that previously surrounded doorways, have been left in their raw state to retain a sense of the buildings’ history.

“Adopting the role of architects-cum-archaeologists, Studio Octopi have created an environment which is unassuming, layered and contextual, while peeling back the layers of ornamentation and finish to expose the period craftsmanship of the buildings,” said the Delfina Foundation.

Throughout the interior, glazed panels in the floors and walls create a visual connection between public and private spaces, and allow light to filter through to rooms in the centre of the building.

Separate entrances for the public and the artists lead to a reception, dining room and kitchen on the ground floor of the five-storey property.

The basement houses a gallery and workshop space, while offices and a library are located on the first floor and the artists’ residences are contained on the top two floors.

Many of the spaces are updated with white walls, pale wood joinery and practical fitted cabinetry that offer a contemporary counterpoint to the grand facade and authentic detailing.

Splashes of bright colour provided by the kitchen cabinets and bathroom floor enhance the modern look of these spaces.

A small terrace located at the basement level provides an outdoor exhibition space, while a terrace on the ground floor can be accessed from the dining room.

“The scheme aims to act as a palimpsest, to retain the integrity and character of the existing buildings while simultaneously creating a series of spaces for residents, staff and visitors to use and enjoy,” said architects Chris Romer-Lee and James Lowe.

Studio Octopi designed the concept at the competition stage with Egyptian office Shahira Fahmy Architects, and subsequently oversaw the £1.4 million development and construction process.

Photography is by Julien Lanoo.

Here’s a press release about the project from Delfina Foundation:

Delfina Foundation opens its newly expanded building

The £1.4m redevelopment has doubled the residency capacity, increasing the number of residents at one time from four to eight, as well as creating 1,650 square feet of additional exhibition and event space. Currently located at 29 Catherine Place in an Edwardian townhouse in Victoria, the Foundation has expanded into the adjacent building, giving it a combined area total of 4,564 square feet.

Adhering to one of the core concepts of the Delfina Foundation’s history as a provider of ‘homes’ for artists, the architects have retained the domesticity of the two houses, exploring the significance of the hearth in a home. Across cultures and throughout history, the hearth has been an integral part of a household, becoming synonymous with notions of domesticity, and place making. Fireplaces are kept in their entirety on the lower floors, and the recesses and hearth stones are retained in the artists’ private spaces.

The designs also set out to maintain the juxtaposition of public and private spaces. The introduction of glazed panels in the floors and walls allow for their integration. Diagonal views across the buildings and through the floors expose the Foundation’s ecosystem at work, as well as opening up the two buildings and bringing in more light throughout the space. With flexible artist workspaces throughout, the five-storey property boasts an expansive gallery/workshop space on the lower ground floor; reception, dining area and kitchen on the ground level; offices and library on the first, whilst the residents’ quarters occupy the two top floors.

Adopting the role of architect cum archaeologists, Studio Octopi have created an environment which is unassuming, layered and contextual, while peeling back the layers of ornamentation and finish to expose the period craftsmanship of the buildings. New insertions are made with a light and considered touch, while detailing is discrete and at times whimsical.

Brickwork to the reveals of the new openings is left exposed and overhead concrete lintels retained in their natural state. By leaving materials in their raw state, a reminder of the building’s beginnings is introduced.

A sense of permanence is imbued in the two townhouses, linking the present with the past and consequently looking ahead into the building’s exciting future.

The post Studio Octopi renovates Edwardian
townhouses for the Delfina Foundation appeared first on Dezeen.

News: Zaha Hadid, Richard Rogers and David Chipperfield have been named on a shortlist of six architects in the running to resurrect Joseph Paxton’s Crystal Palace exhibition hall in south London.

London studios Grimshaw, Haworth Tompkins and Marks Barfield Architects also made the shortlist to recreate the “spirit, scale and magnificence” of the iron glass and steel structure that was designed by English architect Paxton to host the Great Exhibition of 1851, but was destroyed by fire in 1936.

Backed by Chinese developer the ZhongRong Group, the new exhibition venue will provide the centrepiece of a wider masterplan for the overhaul of the surrounding 80-hectare park.

“This is a stellar line-up of talent demonstrating the worldwide interest in this unique and challenging project,” said London mayor Boris Johnson, who is chairing the judging panel.

“The rebuild of The Crystal Palace is set to produce an extraordinary new landmark for the capital, which will support the rebirth of this historic park and catalyse jobs and growth in the local area,” he added.

Up to three of the shortlisted firms will be invited to prepare concept designs later this year. An overall winner will be announced shortly after and construction of the chosen scheme could start in late 2015.

Ni Zhaoxing of ZhongRong Group commented: “The expressions of interest and outstanding shortlist demonstrate the wealth and diversity of design talent inspired by the challenge of rebuilding the Crystal Palace in the spirit of the magnificent original.”

Plans to rebuild the Crystal Palace were first announced in October. Dezeen columnist Sam Jacob said the reconstruction will “only make our sense of loss greater”.

The post Zaha, Rogers and Chipperfield shortlisted
for Crystal Palace rebuild appeared first on Dezeen.

Fashion house Saint Laurent’s creative director Hedi Slimane has designed a new store for the brand in London, with a marbled and mirrored interior similar to the label’s flagship retail outlet in Paris (+ slideshow).

The Sloane Street branch is latest Saint Laurent store to open since Slimane took the reins of the brand in 2012 and dropped the “Yves” from the front of its name.

Its Art Deco-inspired interior is based on the principles of the Union des Artistes Modernes, an art and architecture movement that was prevalent in France during the first half of the twentieth century and championed simplicity and quality of materials.

The same philosophies were applied to the brand’s flagship store on Avenue Montaigne in Paris. “The Saint Laurent architectural concept is adaptable and specific to individual spaces and cities,” said a statement from the brand.

A monochrome palette of marble and concrete runs throughout the space, which is minimally furnished with designs by Modernists including Jacques Adnet, René Herbst and Marcel Breuer.

“The concept and architecture, designed by Hedi, is based on a minimalist translation of the techniques and materials of the French Modernist movement,” the brand stated.

Vertical slats covered in mirrors conceal the staircase, and reflective surfaces are also used on walls and shelves for displaying garments and accessories. Glass vitrines embedded into the walls are framed with nickel.

Photographs are courtesy of Saint Laurent.

The post Hedi Slimane opens Saint Laurent
store in London appeared first on Dezeen.