TYPE: PRIVATE RESIDENTIAL STATUS: COMPLETED LOCATION: KENSINGTON, LONDON (UK)

Light Falls

The LIGHT FALLS project consists in the extensive renovation and extension of a Victorian terraced house in the London’s Borough of Kensington, including the addition of a basement and a double-height rear-extension.

The project features an entirely new organisation that revolves around a new interior courtyard acting as a visual centre to the living spaces. With its sculptural treatment this vertical void opens new spectacular visual connections within the house, bringing new daylight deep into the dwelling’s darkest areas of the dwelling

The ambition for a contemporary project challenging the traditional way of inhabiting the historical housing provision was set from the very start. Dissatisfied with the original Victorian layout, the owners were looking for ways to maximise the fluidity of the vertically stacked living spaces and create a new home for their growing contemporary art collection.

Set within the Abingdon Conservation Area, the house was subjected to a number of planning restrictions, with its external appearance set to be largely preserved. The approach taken was to creatively turn the constraints into strategies by concentrating the design features towards the core of the building. The design of the garden was also approached with some freedom, as a green folly that extends the indoor aesthetic towards the outdoors.

The courtyard’s visual effects are enhanced by opening the sequence of the living spaces as much as possible on each other. The staircase, similarly, opens completely towards the bottom section to distribute access to the various family areas. At the rear, the dining room opens up completely towards the garden with double height glass extension.

With their sculptural yet fluid treatment, the vertical perforations of the courtyard and the open staircase offer spectacular and unexpected visual connections within the house, pouring generous daylight deep into the dwelling. The result is a strong connection with the outdoors, with the sun casting ever-changing hues on the dwelling’s white-washed walls.

Credits

A project by FLOW Architecture with MAGRITS

Structure: StructureMode
MEP: SGA Consulting
Lighting Design: Mindseye
AV Consultant: Openfield Technology
Quantity Surveyor: BTP Group
Contractor Shell & Core: London Basement
Contractor Fit-out: Michael Brady

Stages: RIBA 1-6
Contract: Traditional Contract