Project Headlines

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Project Status: Technical Design

Architectural Services: RIBA work stages 3-4

Development Area: 115sqm

Construction value: £250k

Client: Private developer

Location: Brockley Conservation Area, London

 

Brief & Context

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Remodel an unremarkable garage into a high-quality, low-energy studio. The site is a mews plot to the rear of a Victorian Terrace whose original mews buildings were stables and workshops. Over time they have been used by metal workers, furniture restorers, stonemasons, rag-and-bone men, glass artists, textile printers and design studios. The proposed development is to join a chorus of plots that are reviving this history of light-industry and live/work uses along the mews.

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TJA’s Response

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The conservation area required a relatively low building because views from the mews to the back of the Victorian terraced houses was an important aspect of the area’s character. The design satisfies this by arranging two floors of studio in a split-level relationship with the mews. This creates a stair atrium at the front gable, bringing light deep into the plan at both the upper and lower level. A cupola roof feature brings further daylight in and supports a passive ventilation system. To mitigate the cost and time associated with the concrete foundations and tanking system, a simple steel frame is used above ground. This is to be clad in brick and galvanised metal roofing with high performance insulation. These robust materials are to withstand the wear and tear of mews activity and to be consistent with the light-industrial character of the mews. The front gable design then uses expansive glazing to provide active street frontage and passive surveillance for the public realm. The gable glazing is supported by a steel beam, in front of which sits a decorative frieze, featuring a woven metal mesh. This doubles as a grille to support the passive ventilation system.​