L&D HOUSE, Stoke Newington, London
When A+Architecture were first approached in late 2015 about the possibility of adding a roof extension to this end of terrace house in Stoke Newington, they were immediately hooked! Not only was this house already quite special, with a mature Wisteria Blue Moon plant covering most of the façade, but here was a young couple whose ambition was to build more than a simple roof extension... they wanted something modern and exciting, an extension that would not only add space to their home, but also allow them to change the way the house is used.
Located in Stoke Newington, London, this narrow house (roughly 3m wide) was once part of a larger farm estate, and it is believed that the Ground Floor of the house was formerly part of the outhouses and stables of said estate, later converted into an end of terrace house as the street developed.
Given the rich history of this house, and its uniqueness amongst the other houses of the street, it was very important for the architects that the profile of the old pitch roof was somehow retained, and the modern rooftop extension was conceived as a modern zinc-clad box, carefully placed within the footprint of the previous pitch roof.
In doing so they succeed to create a new top floor external area, which with wall to wall sliding-pivot windows, opens up fully towards Oldfield Rd, offering previously unknown views of Stoke Newington Church, and allowing space for the Wisteria Blue Moon plant to continue growing. A large timber reveal, which can be used as a seat, frames the view from this room, and like in other parts of the project the radiators are concealed behind removable perforated panels.
A carefully detailed open-tread timber stair with origami inspired balustrades, placed at the centre of the house, allowed this additional floor, which houses the new Master bedroom and modern fully glazed en-suite bathroom and a private rooftop retreat for its owners, to be created.
To the back of the house, the old pitch roof creates a diagonal profile to the modern zinc box. A corner eaves-roof-light completes the composition of this façade, allowing light to filter softly down the new staircase.
On the first floor an opening up onto the existing terrace, where the previous house's only bedroom was once located, is now a flexible room which can be used as a second bedroom or an upstairs lounge making this terrace an even more integral part of how the house is used and lived in.
Finally on the Ground Floor, the new staircase divides what was before a very long space into two new elegant spaces, a terrazzo tiled kitchen and dining room area towards the entrance, and a living room which can double up as ensuite bedroom towards the back. Both spaces can be closed off, using large full height sliding doors, to create separate living spaces, or if these large doors (which were planned to also meet the stricter fire safety regulations for three storey properties) are pushed back and hidden away one can still enjoy the house in it's full length.
