The Interlocking House: we marry beauty & function in an overhaul & extension to a dark, outdated five-bed Georgian terraced townhouse in a Hackney Conservation Area.
Our approach was to build less but better, making the existing spaces work harder, thus limiting the need for a large extension and reducing the household's annual carbon emissions by 16%.
We specified healthy, durable, and recycled materials to provide a tactile family home to meet the demands of busy family life.
We remodelled the ground floor to ease circulation and improve the connection with the back garden. We widened internal openings between ground-floor rooms to provide an open-plan living arrangement.
The extension's footprint was carefully considered to retain as much of the garden as possible. The two interconnecting extensions are steeply sloping; their faceted pitches are expressed internally, lined in FSC ash-faced plywood and generous roof lights.
"We have really enjoyed working with Whittaker Parsons on the extension to our family home. They are brilliant, pragmatic and skilled architects.
For full disclosure – Matt and Camilla (Whittaker Parsons) are friends, and I trained and worked as an architect. It is a big decision to work with a friend on a project like this, and we know lots of architects. We decided that Whittaker Parsons are the ones we would trust the most to work on our home, and enjoy working with, and we are so glad that we did.
From the outset they were really easy to work with, bringing imaginative ideas grounded by their experience of delivering projects. They anticipated the needs of our young family, and we felt listened to throughout, with changes and adaptations made during and after design meetings. It was a fun and supportive process.
We started with options studies and a beautiful model that helped us to visualise spaces and make decisions, and progressed into details and layouts for the rooms. They had many ideas for the interior space, the materials, colours and how we could maximise light, ensure a good flow and an open feel for the previously dark and cramped space. Obtaining planning permission was relatively straightforward, and from there we progressed to detailed design. We went with Matt to visit contractors previous projects, and glazing suppliers to look at options and details. We were really grateful for Matt's advice during the project tender period and his help in comparing different submissions.
Having a residential project on site is quite a tricky period for anyone, but Matt was great throughout and a clear communicator with both client and contractor.
The extension has surpassed our expectations in both the spaces created and the detailing.
We love spending time in the new spaces – it has totally changed the way we live.
We would and do recommend Whittaker Parsons to other clients without hesitation. "
- Anna Mansfield & Ian Warren, 2022
A new sustainably sourced Oak engineered floor is laid to top of jute floor insulation (made from old coffee bean sacks) in the reception rooms and hallway. Bespoke joinery lines the two reception rooms, neatly housing the children’s toys and books, with a niche for a refurbished piano.
Upstairs in the original outrigger, a new family bathroom has been built. It is a compact space, but what it lacks in floor area, it makes up for in volume. The soffit of the pitched slate roof has been exposed and the skylight installed. The walls, ceiling and floor have all been thermally upgraded. Whittaker Parsons sourced wall tiles made from recycled content, and the bright yellow rubber floor provides a splash of colour to the space.
Main Contractor: IC & T Projects
Photos: Jim Stephenson
The Interlocking House: we marry beauty & function in an overhaul & extension to a dark, outdated five-bed Georgian terraced townhouse in a Hackney Conservation Area.
Our approach was to build less but better, making the existing spaces work harder, thus limiting the need for a large extension and reducing the household's annual carbon emissions by 16%.
We specified healthy, durable, and recycled materials to provide a tactile family home to meet the demands of busy family life.
We remodelled the ground floor to ease circulation and improve the connection with the back garden. We widened internal openings between ground-floor rooms to provide an open-plan living arrangement.
The extension's footprint was carefully considered to retain as much of the garden as possible. The two interconnecting extensions are steeply sloping; their faceted pitches are expressed internally, lined in FSC ash-faced plywood and generous roof lights.
"We have really enjoyed working with Whittaker Parsons on the extension to our family home. They are brilliant, pragmatic and skilled architects.
For full disclosure – Matt and Camilla (Whittaker Parsons) are friends, and I trained and worked as an architect. It is a big decision to work with a friend on a project like this, and we know lots of architects. We decided that Whittaker Parsons are the ones we would trust the most to work on our home, and enjoy working with, and we are so glad that we did.
From the outset they were really easy to work with, bringing imaginative ideas grounded by their experience of delivering projects. They anticipated the needs of our young family, and we felt listened to throughout, with changes and adaptations made during and after design meetings. It was a fun and supportive process.
We started with options studies and a beautiful model that helped us to visualise spaces and make decisions, and progressed into details and layouts for the rooms. They had many ideas for the interior space, the materials, colours and how we could maximise light, ensure a good flow and an open feel for the previously dark and cramped space. Obtaining planning permission was relatively straightforward, and from there we progressed to detailed design. We went with Matt to visit contractors previous projects, and glazing suppliers to look at options and details. We were really grateful for Matt's advice during the project tender period and his help in comparing different submissions.
Having a residential project on site is quite a tricky period for anyone, but Matt was great throughout and a clear communicator with both client and contractor.
The extension has surpassed our expectations in both the spaces created and the detailing.
We love spending time in the new spaces – it has totally changed the way we live.
We would and do recommend Whittaker Parsons to other clients without hesitation. "
- Anna Mansfield & Ian Warren, 2022
A new sustainably sourced Oak engineered floor is laid to top of jute floor insulation (made from old coffee bean sacks) in the reception rooms and hallway. Bespoke joinery lines the two reception rooms, neatly housing the children’s toys and books, with a niche for a refurbished piano.
Upstairs in the original outrigger, a new family bathroom has been built. It is a compact space, but what it lacks in floor area, it makes up for in volume. The soffit of the pitched slate roof has been exposed and the skylight installed. The walls, ceiling and floor have all been thermally upgraded. Whittaker Parsons sourced wall tiles made from recycled content, and the bright yellow rubber floor provides a splash of colour to the space.
Main Contractor: IC & T Projects
Photos: Jim Stephenson
