Barnsbury extension architect corten

Planning permission has been secured for a corten house extension in Islington. This contemporary proposal in bold materials was supported by the conservation officer as the design was deemed to be of a high quality, which would preserve and enhance the Barnsbury conservation area. The existing property is a stock brick early Victorian town house with a slate tiled mansard roof, built in the mid-nineteenth Century.


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Two options were initially produced for the client, with different designs for the crafted corten facade of the upper ground floor extension. The first design for the upper ground floor is an intricate corten facade. This space is a bathroom, so the facade investigates various degrees of transparency. An opaque, perforated corten screen at the bottom provides privacy, while fine lines dividing the screen allow glimpses of light from within. Clear glazing to the top of the facade allows views out toward the sky and trees.

Barnsbury house extension in corten, london

The second corten house extension option produced for the client proposes a corten framed translucent glass facade which provides privacy, allowing only soft shadows of the activity within to be visible from the garden.

The corten material weathers over time to provide a deep red and orange rusted facade. The first rusted layer forms a protective layer on the material, therefore protecting it from more substantial rust that might damage the integrity of the cladding. The resulting colour provides a bold contrast to the dark soot washed brickwork of the rest of the rear facade and the dark grey welsh slate of the extended mansard roof.

The rear elevation of the existing house is soot-washed and window frames and sills painted a dark grey. This treatment gives the house a uniform and slightly muted appearance, clearly defining it against its new extensions to the rear.

Barnsbury house extension in corten, sketch

The existing parts of the house are to be refurbished with a new kitchen to the lower ground floor and new bathrooms and master suite to the upper levels.

Bespoke joinery is proposed to the kitchen and dining room at lower ground floor and to the dressing room at first floor.

Project Architect:
Ben Ridley

Structural Engineer:
Structure Haus

Location:
Lambert Street, Barnsbury N1


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