Walters & Cohen designed this modern extension to a Grade II listed Georgian terraced house in Chalcot Square, London.
Traditionally houses surrounding London’s Georgian squares were designed with service accommodation at basement level and no connection between the main rooms at ground floor level and the garden. The aim was to open up the plan, rationalise the services and orientate the main living accommodation towards the garden. The floor-to-ceiling heights on the lower ground floor are not generous and it was particularly important to draw light from the southwest-facing garden into the deepest areas of the plan. This was achieved using full-width glazed doors across the rear elevation and a number of rooflights.
The kitchen, shower room, laundry, stair, AV equipment and coat cupboard are all housed within a linear ‘box’, articulated on one side of the main living space.
The planning and listed building consent process was lengthy and complex; the proposal was finally approved eighteen months after submitting the original application. Although a residential project, it provided good experience in dealing with English Heritage and successfully achieving listed building consent.
