The brief was to design a new dwelling located within the ‘gap site’ of a large garden curtilage at in Shirley Hills Road, Croydon. The site is located within the Metropolitan Green belt and a Local Heritage Area (LAH).

The advantages of the sloping topography allowed us to turn the building lengthways into the site and present a 2no. storey house with minimal elevational impact on the street context. Strong significance was given to the tree’d nature of the site.Where possible it is intended that ‘natural’ and ‘local’ materials will be used, delivering an integrated design solution and maintaining continuity with the character of the local area. The materials will be detailed in a modern way to produce a robust and flexible building that will weather and age well. The resulting aesthetic, both inside and out is intended to be simple, modest and timeless.

The aspirational principles for the architectural design are set by a brief to target the RIBA 2030 Climate Challenge for operational energy, embodied carbon and water use reduction. The proposed dwelling has been sympathetically designed and considered in response to its local context; to become a development of high quality and exemplar aesthetical merit.  The house has been located to sit comfortability on the site in keeping with the scale, materials and character of the local area whilst offering a degree of respectful modernity and contemporary style. The proposals will positively enhance the character and appearance of the site and enhance the overall setting in this Area of Special Character. The building has been robustly considered with involvement from other professional consultants, to provide solutions designed to be future proofed to emerging environmental and sustainability targets. 

Client
Private client

Location
Croydon, London, United Kingdom

Facility
Residential

Size
m² |  sqft

Scope
architecture, interior architecture