The careful remodelling of a listed building and addition of a new lightweight, street facing infill extension to create a new bespoke family home in the heart of Camden Town.

Our considered design responds to the site's sensitive conservation context and our client’s particular needs, enabling the sustainable development of a long time redundant site to create a new high-quality home.

Due to its small footprint, it had proven unfeasible to develop the Inverness Street site for over 30 years, and the site had been the subject of many unsuccessful planning submissions and appeals.  Combined ownership with the adjacent lower ground floor flat at 24 Gloucester Crescent presented a once in a generation opportunity to develop a design that put the site back into reuse without over intensification.

The new infill extension is carefully composed to sit comfortably in its conservation area context. Its massing sculpted to respond to the streetscape and maintain the gap - and long views into the gardens - between the listed terraces of Gloucester Crescent and Inverness Street. 

A street-facing ‘garden wall’ facing Inverness Street has been re-imagined and restitches the site together. A perforate metal trellis above supports planting and helps green the street.  A new door in the wall opens into a planted courtyard and creates an entrance into the new house. Popping up above the garden wall, the timber framed upper floor is a contemporary take on a historic orangery.  Vertical timber mullions have a robustness, formality and proportion that compliments the rendered pilaster columns of the adjacent listed portico. Deep set glazing reduces reflectance, provides privacy and solar shading whilst maintaining a sense of transparency. The expressed cornice provides a contemporary, decorative take on the historic detail of the neighboring houses. 

Internally the existing basement flat is reimagined and connected to new light filled living spaces in the extension of two levels, that face into a garden courtyard.  A delicate timber stair occupies the ‘prow’ of the new building, providing light and views down the street, whilst respecting existing building lines. A new tree in the entrance courtyard further enhances the greening of the street and embeds the infill structure in its new garden setting.

Client: private

Stages: RIBA 0 - 6