Residential
Residential
“The response from Eric and his team was to create a wonderful blend of the old and the new; encapsulating high quality contemporary finishes in a historic setting. As well as establishing the benchmark for the residential in St James's, we have successfully let and / or sold the apartments ahead of expectation. A fantastic success all round.” James Cooksey
Head of Regional and St James's Portfolios The Crown Estate
Contents Introduction
7
Crafting
8
The Town House
22
Urban Living
44
The Country House
90
Spaces for Art
96
Introduction We have been designing successful homes since Eric Parry founded the firm in 1983. On each occasion, we start by building up a relationship of trust, where our clients feel we listen to their concerns and understand the sort of lifestyle they want. In return we offer them our knowledge of the construction industry and how to unlock its potential. In collaboration with our clients we design homes which are modern, functional and beautiful – and tailored to individual needs. Our residential projects include specially crafted homes for individual clients, as well as developments with a range of options for prospective residents to choose from. Some are new build; others adapt or extend existing buildings. They vary in size from small apartments to large houses, in location from inner cities to expansive landscapes, and in climate from the temperate UK to tropical extremes. The many nationalities and backgrounds represented in our studio broaden our insight into different cultures and the best each can offer. Using our experience, we guide our clients, whatever their expertise, through the complexity of planning and construction while keeping a sharp focus on their aspirations and ambitions.
6 – 7
Through many types of building procurement, we have worked with a wide range of construction methods and materials, from the sensuality of hand-crafted objects, surfaces and shapes, to the quality and satisfying precision of machine-made products and materials. Our designs seek to forge these physical elements into a joyous combination of space, light, materials and textures – with an effect which complements the wider opportunities offered by the setting and its context. Underpinning the design and construction process of every project is our grasp of cost control and management. We take particular satisfaction in collaborating with artists and craftspeople whose work can expand the imaginative possibilities and physical pleasures of new homes. As well as selecting and commissioning art, furnishing and fittings for our clients, we have also designed around their existing collections. Homes should be places where everyday activities combine with intellectual and sensory delights to make the ordinary pleasurable, to provide a carapace where we can be alone or socialise with family or friends, and where we can enjoy art, music and literature – or simply the subliminal qualities of craft. We set out to create spatial frameworks where these conditions can come into being around individual wishes.
Crafting
Our service includes designing special products for individual buildings. These objects take their place in a framework which reinforces enjoyment in domestic settings. Our door handle is shaped to feel comfortable in the hand when gripped, and to have just the right amount of firmness when depressed. It turns a necessary, quotidian function into a pleasurable moment. Fabrics, too, in their combination of tactile and visual sensations, add to the warmth and intimacy of domestic interiors, just as they can humanise corporate or public spaces. They can affect the sense of light and sound to transform rooms from one use to another. Furniture also suggests how a room might be used and complements social interaction or private contemplation with appropriate physical comfort. Homes have particular practical needs, such as kitchens, bathrooms and storage. We have undertaken studies to ensure that we understand how these can be met – and in meeting them can be enhanced to bring a sense of personal fulfilment.
8 – 9
The sourcing of fibres in response to an idea of the sensory and haptic quality of the hanging starts with visits to the European textile fairs. Choices develop into working drawings, discussions with weavers and the production of samples. Here the master weaver in her studio begins the stage of implementation. The nylon warp and metal weft of a sophisticated double weave create the billowing effect of the final loom width hangings seen overleaf.
10 – 11
Detail view of the hand crafted, loom wide, hangings of the reception space of 5 Aldermanbury Square in the City of London.
12 – 13
Design drawing for the two mirrored reception space rugs at 5 Aldermanbury Square in the City of London. Images of both sides of the loom in a village near Izmir, Turkey where the hand knotted rugs were produced with age old skills handed down through countless generations.
1 4 – 15
The Vigilia bench was originally commissioned as a set of benches for a small newly-built chapel in the church of St Martin-in-the-Fields. It was designed in two sizes, a three-person (illustrated) and a two-person. Both are robust but light enough to be easily moved. The steam bent spindles make its fabrication a tour de force of the furniture maker’s art, and the benches are only produced in limited editions to order.
1 6 – 17
The Z Handle has been in production for five years and is the first of a series of ironmongery products under development. The intention was to adsorb the normal clutter of door ironmongery into a single element. It resolves the vertical lock plate with the horizontal handle through the shadow and form of the geometric casting that echoes the applied thrust and movement. It is produced at different sizes and in different alloys including nickel and stainless steel.
18 – 19
The double woven pleated textiles for the roof-top spa at the Four Seasons London respond to the important need to turn spectacular views into the intimate privacy of the treatment rooms. They were designed and specified to be both economical and very practical given the need for frequent washing and speedy turnaround.
The Town House
On the outside, much of inner London’s housing stock remains much as it was when it was built in the 19th century. Conservation policies preserve the relatively uniform character. Creating homes suited to the 21st century within this protected fabric calls for particular sensitivities to history and place as well as to contemporary lifestyles. London’s builders established a basic urban grain which still has many advantages today. They clearly delineated the public realm of the street and the private realm of the interior, but devised a series of thresholds to graduate the approach to a house. Generally avoiding flamboyant architecture, the building stock tends towards a timeless quality which careful restoration can enhance. As the homes were often solidly built, their interiors have considerable scope for alteration and extension. Extending underground, laterally or into a garden allows us to create remarkably large rooms, and particular configurations between them. Light sources, imaginatively contrived views and carefully selected textures all contribute to a range of effects which can be customised to suit individual lifestyles.
Reordered and extended house in Hamilton Terrace London, NW8.
2 2 – 23
New villa on the Eyre Estate, London. Street and garden views with the living room set between.
2 8 – 29
Eaton Place, London SW1 From vertical to horizontal ordering. A ground floor apartment conjoined with the rebuilt mews property to create a radical transformation of 19th century living into contemporary family accommodation.
1. Living room 2. Bedroom 3. Court 4. Plant room 5. Study 6. Utility room 7. Terrace 8. Dining room 9. Master bedroom
9
1
7
2
3
8
5
6
4
3 0 – 31
2
The architectural model plays an important role in the design process. Here, the contractors used it to understand the coordination of highly skilled elements from the cast concrete shell to metal work of the stair and the cabinetry of acoustic linings and library shelving.
32 – 33
Staircase detail Eaton Place, London SW1
34 – 35
Dining room detail Eaton Place, London SW1
Garden court between street and mews Eaton Place, London SW1
38 – 39
40 – 41
Eaton Square, London SW1 The Eaton Square property is in a Grade II*listed building within the City of Westminster Belgravia Conservation Area, originally built as grand townhouses by Cubitt in the 1830s. Eric Parry Architects have set out to create a contemporary residence with an improved relationship to the rear garden, all the while respecting its architectural heritage.
42 – 43
Urban Living
Living in a big city brings all sorts of opportunities for residents and numerous challenges for architects. We enjoy those challenges because we believe cities represent the most intense level of human culture, and that urban homes should help their inhabitants to find their place within it. Several of our projects in central London give direct access to cultural, social and retail opportunities like Piccadilly Circus, Bond Street and the Barbican. Some of them are within or adjacent to landmark historic buildings. Our intention is to craft homes which blend the identity and opportunity which these amenities offer with potential for individual expression and lifestyle. They are places to retreat to for privacy from urban bustle, but also where residents can receive guests and friends in an atmosphere that combines personal identity with an appreciation of the specialness of their location.
27 Regent Street / 15 & 20 Jermyn Street A former bank building that has been converted to residential use by Eric Parry Architects.
4 4 – 45
The former attic has been transformed into a penthouse loft with roof terrace.
“Here Eric Parry Architects gets to show its attention to detail at a completely different scale, dressing the apartments from handles and bathrooms to fridges, furniture and crockery. Enviable good taste.” Eleanor Young
RIBA Journal
48 – 49
The former bank board rooms have been converted for residential use.
The previous office floor has been converted into generous open-plan residential space.
“Eric Parry Architects applied the intellectual rigour, discipline and refinement that is typical of their architecture to the sixteen apartments at 20 and 15 Jermyn Street to produce a residential offering that set new standards for St James’s. The apartments designed by EPA provided stunning residential spaces which exceeded market expectations in terms of value whilst meeting challenging cost targets and design standards.” Ron German
Director, Stanhope (Development and Construction Management, London)
Typical wardrobe in 15 Jermyn Street designed by Eric Parry Architects
52 – 53
Typical bathrooms in 15 Jermyn Street, London W1
54 – 55
“We created the great spaces of The Mellier at a horizon which is set permanently by its historic status. This is a floating world lit judiciously and in abundance, enjoying the privilege of looking over the most prestigious grid of streets in the world today.” This former workshop and office building in Mayfair, London W1, was transformed into three lateral apartments and one unique penthouse with roof terrace overlooking the rooftops of London.
5 6 – 57
The rooms facing onto Albemarle Street are ambassadorial in scale. Sliding elements and wall slices provide separation were needed.
The rear of the building is equally intriguing as a private world, one of bedrooms and the interior of the court.
“It is a great thing about Mayfair and its grid to get façades on busy streets, and then in the courtyards, it’s wonderfully quiet. There is an active side and a much more contemplative side.” The gallery dividing the street facing reception rooms from the quiet back rooms.
6 0 – 61
Different bathroom types of the development: cloud-like bathrooms with abundant daylight; and introvert ‘earthier’ bathrooms.
62 – 63
In celebration of the generous spaces, the choice of the best of contemporary furniture, textures and textiles that are crafted but not too assertive has been important.
6 4 – 65
Mayfair is more than purely bohemian, it stands for real quality and the world of crafting and making.
6 6 – 67
Open family kitchen at top level with access to south west facing terraces.
Open family room at top level with access to south west facing terraces.
South west facing terrace overlooking the Mayfair roofscape.
Curzon Street London W1 (above and opposite)
7 4 – 75
Design proposal for a site in central Westminster
7 6 – 77
Jermyn Street, London W1 Eric Parry Architects designed five apartments behind a retained façade as part of a mixed use project.
Vicarage Gate House London W8
Open-plan Living London EC1
Chelsea Barracks, London Eric Parry Architects have designed 5 new residential buildings across 2 Phases of the masterplan for the redevelopment of the former Chelsea Barracks, a large site on Chelsea Bridge Road, opposite Ranelagh Gardens. Phase 4 comprises three buildings, Nos. 6, 7 and 8, arranged around a private courtyard at the centre of the masterplan. Building 7 sits on Chelsea Bridge Road and is seen as the most prestigious building in the development. Buildings 18 and 19 are across a new public Square, with Building 19 being a companion piece to Building 7 on Chelsea Bridge Road. All 5 buildings are 6 storeys in height with a further two storey penthouse set back at the upper levels.
8 2 – 83
84 – 85
Artist’s studio in South London
Iringan Hijau Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
8 6 – 87
Iringan Hijau Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
The Country House
Country houses have a very important place in the history of architecture, and though they are no longer centres of political and economic power, the pleasures of inhabiting a historic landscape are still very potent. The countryside can be almost as rich an artefact as urban areas, as evolving patterns of habitation and use leave their marks in boundaries, plants and buildings. Whether large and dramatic or small and discreet, we believe these traces all make important contributions to the sense of place, and the opportunities it offers to present day inhabitants. In our designs for country houses we seek to continue the evolution between nature, culture and individuals.
Old Wardour House Wiltshire
9 0 – 91
Old Wardour House Situated beside the historic Old Wardour Castle, built in the late 14th Century, Old Wardour House has a noble lineage. The house was acquired by the present owner's family in 1963. Major alterations have been made to some or all of the buildings on this site in the 1690s, 1740s, 1870s, 1900s and the 1960s, leaving a distinctive, eclectic, traceable pattern. The new design took a non-intrusive, minimalist approach, respectful of the existing fabric.
Chateau de Paulin Built in a spectacular setting, the Chateau de Paulin was once used as a fortified position; the oldest extant walls, built around the highest outcrop, date from the eleventh and twelfth centuries. The Chateau would have been one of the outposts of Carthar influence during this period and its strategic position is typical of the great Carthar fortresses of Lustrous Minerve and Monsegur. Our work over the last decade consists of restoration work to the existing fabric, new buildings including an art gallery, sculpture by Stephen Cox and landscape design.
94 – 95
Spaces for Art
Nothing transforms how we interact with a space more than placing a powerful work of art in it. The dimensions and surfaces may not change, but through form and colour artworks engage visitors with an unmistakable energy. When we design spaces for displaying and viewing art we strive to create a context that allows the art to communicate. External factors may be deliberately downplayed, but they are not absent or ignored. We never forget that both the moment of creation and the experience of appreciation exist in their own time, place and culture. Eric Parry’s personal commitment to understand how art and architecture interact runs through this aspect of our work. He chose to study at Newcastle University and the Royal College of Art because art and architecture students could collaborate and share ideas. We continue to develop our ideas through spaces for art in private homes, as well as numerous public and private galleries and exhibitions within them.
9 6 – 97
View of the top lit gallery in a house in St John’s Wood London.
A show apartment in a residential development in Albemarle Street London (left and opposite).
98 – 99
Supplementary hanging space created in the relocated stair well of the Holburne Museum, Bath.
The combination of art storage and a viewing room, culled from the old bank managers office, in the Timothy Taylor Gallery London.
100 – 101
28 – 42 Banner Street London EC1Y 8QE T +44 (0) 20 7608 9600 F +44 (0) 20 7608 9601 E epa@ericparryarchitects.co.uk W www.ericparryarchitects.co.uk
