Bella Mews
Situated within a challenging conservation area location, the project has transformed a redundant brownfield garage site into two new, high quality, dual aspect dwellings, including a 3 bedroom family dwelling at ground storey and a 1 bedroom dwelling at first storey.
When their client first approached Novak Hiles Architects, the site was a forgotten back-land site accommodating a lock up garage which had been derelict for many years. The site was covered over with hard-standing and had become a dumping zone for rubbish and debris. A mismatch of drab concrete and wire fencing exacerbated this unkempt feel. However, the practice’s immediate reaction to the site was one of excitement and optimism. It was clear there was the potential to deliver a new building that could enhance this forgotten part of the conservation area, creating a new frontage that would animate the adjacent cul-de-sac and lift the overall feel of the location.
The site sits within a varied existing context, which includes a mix of Victorian era residential and infrastructural properties alongside more recent volume housing developments.
The client is a local family turned private developer with long standing ties to the area. They invested in the site as a way of trying to genuinely improve their local area and the building is named Bella Mews in memory of a member of the family. The ‘mews’ part of the name is intentionally optimistic, as we hope that owners of adjacent plots may seek to develop new homes in a similar manner over time, creating an ad-hoc mews street in this location.
Bringing their expertise in creative responses to challenging small sites to the fore, Novak Hiles Architects carefully configured the building form in response to issues of distancing, mass, privacy and outlook relative to the specific characteristics of the site. The ground floor had to be raised to deal with surface water flooding considerations particular to this location. The building was also subject to strict height restrictions owing to its Conservation Area setting. The massing was also purposely arranged to minimise any impact on the adjacent residential gardens as well as the windows of the Victorian terraced houses situated to the north.
The building is considered as a solid pale red brick mass that has been carefully sculpted in response to the opportunities and constraints of the site, with deep setbacks and undercuts as well as deep window reveals providing a strong sense of relief. Thoughtfully composed high quality brick detailing is utilised throughout, varying in response to the different idiosyncrasies of each respective side of the site. The resulting elevations are robust but highly characterful.
Deep inset openings reinforce the entrance to both dwellings and brick bonds on the front elevation express the external steps leading to the dwelling on the first storey. The external steps are an inherent part of the character of the frontage, and a celebrated part of the architecture, drawing upon historic ‘mews’ house references and brick details, albeit in a contemporary manner. Deep planters are built into the solid frontage of the building, providing defensible perennial planting and a visual buffer to the cul-de-sac street beyond. The development is car free, with secure cycle storage integrated into the frontage of the building.
Both properties have their own front door and are accessed directly from the street, which the practice considers to be an important ambition across its housing projects. The external steps leading up the top storey unit mean that there is no loss of area for a shared internal core, maximising the efficiency of the layouts and avoiding the inevitable issues that come with ongoing maintenance of common parts in smaller residential buildings, a characterful solution to a practical problem.
The dual aspect units exceed minimum sizes and are flexible in their arrangement. The interiors are bright and spacious, with generous openings to the front and rear elevations offering long views without introducing issues of overlooking, especially given the requirement for no side facing windows owing to the proximity of existing gardens on either side of the plot. The emphasis has been on intelligent planning, a simple interior palette and robust detailing in kitchens and bathrooms, given the strict commercial constraints that inevitably come with designing for the rental market. The ceiling joists of the upper storey unit have been left exposed offering additional head height, as well as an uplifting and spacious feel.
The amenity space is generous with a large private garden provided for the ground floor three-bedroom flat, which is accessible from both the living space and the largest bedroom, as well as a good size private south-facing terrace to the one bedroom first floor flat, the guarding of which is integrated into the decorative front brickwork, and referenced by a change in brick bond, further activating the building frontage. Pale red terracotta permeable tiles reinforce the cohesive language of the architecture.
The building has been designed to utilise timber frame construction to minimise steel use and maximise insulation thickness, resulting in a building fabric which is thermally high performing. Sustainable technologies including air source heat pumps have also been successfully integrated into the scheme. Collectively, these measures have significantly reduced carbon use within a brick outer fabric that is intended to be robust enough to last for centuries. The development achieves a total carbon reduction of 49% over Part L 2013 regulations.
The building provides green roofs and surface water flow control mechanisms utilising gravel beds and a small area of rain garden to attenuate water as part of a sustainable urban drainage strategy to ensure the development will not impact on wider surface water levels.
This project seeks instead to promote an architecture that is contemporary and bold, but also appropriate, and that enhances the character of the conservation area and beyond. The elevation design respects the context, matching the solidity of built environment nearby, but giving the building a clear identity of its own.
This project is an important milestone for Novak Hiles Architects, which has enabled the practice to demonstrate its ongoing commitment to the delivery of good quality housing on challenging urban sites.
