Herne Hill House

Herne Hill House
© Lorenzo Zandri
Herne Hill House
© Lorenzo Zandri

HERNE HILL HOUSE

TYPE

ARCHITECTS
TYPE

AREA
200 m²

YEAR
2021

PHOTOGRAPHS
Lorenzo Zandri

STRUCTURAL ENGINEER
Blue Engineering

PROJECT ARCHITECT
Ogi Ristic

JOINERY
DJG Furniture

GENERAL CONTRACTOR
MONO Urban Space Solutions Ltd

LOCATION
London, United Kingdom

CATEGORY
Houses

Text description provided by architect.

Architectural studio TYPE has unveiled a distinct and characterful extension to an end-of-terrace, Victorian three-storey house in Herne Hill, south London.

The airy and light-filled 45m2 rear and side extension replace a draughty and cold conservatory in the south-facing garden.

Herne Hill House
© Lorenzo Zandri
Herne Hill House
© Lorenzo Zandri

The façade itself has three distinct elements: a picture window framing a view of the garden; timber shutters for ventilation; and a large pivot door for access. It carefully defines three distinct ground-floor spaces for cooking, dining, and relaxing within a single room.

The third component of the extension is a permeable and playful Douglas fir rear façade which is the threshold to the garden. The second component of the project is an ash-lined box containing the services and creating a threshold between the old house and the new space.

The façade also incorporates a large internal and external window seat, next to integrated bookshelves and a fold-out bench for the children.

As a studio, TYPE is conscious of the environmental impact of buildings, and in all of its projects seeks to minimise the consumption of energy and resources and enhance ecology.

Herne Hill House
© Lorenzo Zandri
Herne Hill House
© Lorenzo Zandri

The first component is the structure – an expressed concrete frame and column which supports the existing house, opening up the existing space to the extension and defining the three new living areas.

Key to the project is an elemental use of self-finished materials that are inherently beautiful and practical.

The homeowners approached TYPE after seeing a north London project designed by the architects. The brief called for a warm, inviting interior area and a connecting space to the large garden; a practical space for daily life, as well as providing flexible and spacious dining and entertaining space for hosting large gatherings.

Herne Hill House
© Lorenzo Zandri
Herne Hill House
© Lorenzo Zandri

The resulting new kitchen reconfiguration and extension consists of three components, with the individual quality of the materials providing the backdrop.

As a family with young children, robust, durable, and easily maintained materials were important. The remaining area of the flat roofs has been planted for biodiversity and insulation. Rainwater is directed from the roof of the house and extension via the expressed rear guttering into a trough, for use in the garden.

Herne Hill House
© Lorenzo Zandri
Herne Hill House
© Lorenzo Zandri
Herne Hill House
© Lorenzo Zandri

Concrete, lime plaster, quarry tiles, and timber – Douglas fir and ash – have been used to express the function of each element of the space.

At Herne Hill House the architects have used natural materials with lower embodied carbon wherever possible, such as the quarry tiles, lime plaster, and timber façade. The floor is distinguished by a Staffordshire red quarry tile.

Herne Hill House
© Lorenzo Zandri
Herne Hill House
© Lorenzo Zandri


Herne Hill House
Detail Section
Herne Hill House
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Herne Hill House
First Floor Plan
Herne Hill House
Second Floor Plan
Herne Hill House
Ground Floor Plan
Herne Hill House
Axonometric Diagram