Séries de projets d’extensions et de rénovations de maisons à Londres par le Studio Octopi.
+ Via Studio Octopi
PARK AVENUE SOUTH
Refurbishment + Extension, London, 2009
Black zinc, Nero Assoluto stone, white limed ash
The extension to this Victorian end of terrace house was inspired by the existing geometry of the house and garden. The design was developed through a series of folded paper sketch models exploring the nature of the triangular plot, the geometry and aspect. From a distance, the structure reads as a strong geometric form that has grown out from the back of the house, but at closer quarters, its edges appear to soften and the malleability of the zinc cladding and the very slight billows in its surface come into focus.
The impression formed is of a tailored garment turned inside out to reveal a complex structure of pleated seams. A cantilevered island unit clad in seamless black granite delineates the kitchen from the living space. Bridging the step down to the kitchen it creates on one side a working surface at waist height, and a seating area on the other. This monumental feature is echoed in the granite terraces that lead out into the garden. These are the first elements of the planned landscaping, with areas of paving and planting that will reflect the form of the structure’s openings like patches of light cast by a paper lantern.
VITT HUS
Refurbishment + Extension, London, 2008
Glacier white Corian, Pietra Serena stone
Vitt hus is Swedish for ‘white house’ and best describes the client’s brief for a predominantly white, almost gallery-like space to display artwork including Upsala Ekeby porcelain and Otl Aicher Munich Olympics posters.
Referencing works by the Brazilian artist Helio Oiticicia, the project was approached as an investigation into the subtle shifts in tone and texture that can be achieved within the bounds of a near perfect whiteness.
A Corian plinth sits directly on the grey Pietra Serena floor whilst adjacent units cantilever out above a deep void. Working surfaces are warmed by the pale yellow glow of concealed fluorescent strips and mirrored panels reflect light out above the upper units. Opposite, a shallow rectangular recess presses back into the wall containing the Olympic posters.
A box-shaped roof light is raised up above the steps that connect the front reception rooms through to the kitchen extension. Adjacent, sloping glass panels occupy a narrow strip of space between the ceiling and the side wall. During the daytime light streams in through this opening, but at night it reads as a dark slot cutting through the pristine white space.
SHANDON
Refurbishment + Extension, London, 2008
Pietra Serena, back painted glass
An airy and tranquil kitchen and dining space blurs the boundary between the ground floor and the garden of this terraced house in Clapham, south London. The interior and exterior are treated as a continuous space, a single room formed in plan by three equal zones that balance and unify the ground floor.
The division between the house and the garden is made indistinct by a minimally framed sliding door that allows natural light to stream back deep inside the building. Beneath it the sandstone kitchen floor extends seamlessly outwards to form a terrace between the rear elevation and the timber deck at the end of the garden.
The kitchen units and countertop form a block that stretches out through the rear elevation, the exposed section of storage echoing the proportions of the kitchen island. These dimensions are repeated once more, as a negative in the void of the roof-light, positioned in parallel with the kitchen island to allow light to fall in on the internal dining area.
ALBION HOUSE
Refurbishment + Extension, London, 2007
Douglas Fir, sedum roof
A Grade 2 listed building in Islington that was divided up into flats in the 1970’s has been restored and reinstated as a family home. The original house has been refurbished throughout with finishes that are light in both tone and texture and new units and insertions are respectful to the restored fabric and period details of the building.
The newly reinstated staircase occupies the same shaft of space as the original at the rear of the house. Glass balustrades sandwiched between steel plates draw a bold zigzag between the ground floor and the attic. Here it is met by three large roof lights that filter natural light down between stair treads and landing plates that sit back slightly from the walls and balustrades.
The resulting structure is reminiscent of an exploded diagram, with each element expressed as an object floating within a tightly defined vertical space. The levels feel more connected than ever they were, with movement between the four rooms of the first floor becoming a vertical as well as a horizontal experience.
On the ground floor the kitchen and dining room have been opened up to form one long flowing space with white-soap-washed spruce floorboards that run the length of the building.
CHOCOLATE HOUSE
Refurbishment, London, 2008
Basalt
In the reconfiguration of the ground and first floors of this period property overlooking Barnes Common the new additions were conceived as a series of ‘furniture boxes’ that were to float within the existing fabric of the house.
Blue-grey slabs of basalt run throughout the ground floor and out onto the terrace at the rear of the house. A recent brick extension has been updated with a large sliding glass door leading out to the garden. Inside, a large roof light illuminates the kitchen ‘box’.
The object sits at centre stage, reflecting the clients’ cultural heritage and love of food and cooking.
Beyond the intimate low ceiling of the lobby area to the new master suite on the first floor, the bathroom and dressing room ‘boxes’ appear to span between the walls. Cabinets, wardrobes and plinths are raised up off the floor and lit from below. The spaces above meanwhile have been opened up to allow light to flood through from the front and rear deep into the master suite.
Merci, tres bon!
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