Preface
Crawford Partnership was established in 1997 by Alan Crawford as a ‘boutique style’ London based architecture and interior design practice. This new book illustrates the new build home in North London that the practice completed in spring 2019, which has been carved from a compact infill plot originally accommodating two derelict lockup garages, that were acquired by our client at auction. This redevelopment provides the reader with an example of just one of many typical plots across London that have similar potential on which to create interesting, contemporary new homes. The new book includes insights and illustrations as an example of our working process and methodology and complete involvement in the design and process for this bespoke new home, typical of many we continue to work on. The project also focuses on the increasingly controversial issues of the growing Housing Crisis and how the practice is committed to working with clients to provide these unique new homes, often located within Conservation Areas and heavily constrained by their compact plots flanked by neighbours who may object to having the status quo of their daily lives interrupted by the construction process . Our design influences are many, from art and technology, science and nature, through to travel and literature, with each unique project aspiring to create beautiful crafted built forms and spaces and to incorporate sustainable materials and technology that enable contemporary design solutions that maximise on light, space, and comfort whilst providing visual delight for all. With a rapidly growing global population and with increasing urbanisation and inflating land prices in major cities around the world, we continue to direct our work philosophy and experience towards the study of residential design, from the provision of low cost affordable dwellings that are necessary to combat the global housing crisis, through to the preservation and modernisation of houses of the historic stature that serve to enrich our enjoyment and appreciation of architecture. Alan Crawford 2019
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Contents 01
Introduction
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Site
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Brief Development
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Concept Design
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Detailed Design
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Construction Process
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Completed Project
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Introduction Crawford Partnership has been involved since it’s inception in the creation of bespoke ‘signature homes’ across London. These newbuild single houses are mostly located within brownfield backland or infill plots and often in Conservation Areas. Our work in London is completed by working in cooperation with Conservation and Design Officers such as within the London Borough of Haringey, where our office is based and we were we won the council’s Best Home Award in 2012. We have completed these ‘signature homes’ across London, pushing the boundaries of design, technology and materials whilst realising a vision for our clients through providing the greatest value within the unique houses created. Many of these designs have stemmed from an alternative internal layout to the traditional house, necessitated by the tight urban constraints of living in London. This involves the inclusion of a basement containing the bedrooms, turning the traditional model upside down, with living spaces benefiting from the best views at ground or first floor, and utilising courtyards, lightwells and rooflights to bring natural light into the spaces without being overlooked or affecting neighbour’s amenity. The aim for all of these projects is to play with light, mass, privacy, outlook, art and creating spaces which reflect the ambitions and character of our clients. Housing is increasingly detached from a strong sense of individual identity and that is something we seek to inject into all of our project, particularly our ‘signature houses.’
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Entrance from Clifton Road
Crawford Partnership ‘Signature Houses’
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Site The site measures 80sqm, originally containing two derelict garages on Clifton Road, close to the centre of vibrant Crouch End, North London. The site can only be accessed from the street elevation, with neighbouring properties surrounding the site on the other three sides. Within a Conservation Area, the local vernacular is dominated by traditional Victorian and Edwardian properties, with the planners and neighbours wishing to ensure that only the highest quality of additions are approved. The existing double garages are overshadowed by the adjacent threestorey flats at 14 Clifton Road to the south. The other two boundaries adjoin gardens of three different properties, creating a tight and constrained site with limited access for natural light and views without affecting neighbour’s amenity or daylight. The site was auctioned in 2013 with a guide price of £75,000. Although there was no planning permission secured for the site, making it’s purchase at any price a risk, it was eventually sold for £251,000. This was news in the Daily Mail with the cost being £80,000 more than the average UK house price at the time.
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Photos of the Auction Site
D OA R ALL H H UC O CR
Neighbour’s Views Access
ON IFT CL
Sun Path
AD RO Auction Site Streetscene
Location Plan
Auction Site Streetscene
G ID R LE O C
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First STORAGE
Brief
Development
LOUNGE DOUBLE HEIGHT BALCONY
Ground
BALCONY
Our client acquired the site with the ambition to create a threebedroom family house for his family to inhabit. This was predicated on the unaffordability of houses in the area whilst wanting a base from which to live and work in the capital.
KITCHEN
LIVING
STUDY
Due to the constrained nature of the site, massing and overlooking were the primary concerns for us to address through clever design solutions. The neighbours and planning department also had to be convinced of the quality of the proposal in order to comply with policies relating to the Conservation Area. An initial design was prepared, with three bedrooms and two bathrooms located in the basement, set around a courtyard to bring in natural light. The ground floor contained an open-plan living and kitchen space, a study and WC as well as a balcony out to the courtyard below. The ground floor is entirely hidden behind a private boundary wall enclosing the site. At first floor level was a more secluded lounge space for entertaining or family use, which also had a balcony to benefit from the views out to Alexandra Palace.
GLASS FLOOR
W.C.
Basement
COURTYARD
The first floor massing was set back from the street, with the ground and basement floors filling the footprint of the site and creating 140sqm of internal area. The design addresses the concerns raised to avoid creating an overbearing massing or the mere feeling of potential overlooking. After some detailed discussions with the planners we made some minor modifications, reducing the mass through alternating the roof to include a curved element, generating a unique roof form to further endow the proposal with identity. With the changes made, the design was approved by Haringey’s Planning Department. 08
GLASS FLOOR
MASTER
ENSUITE
SHOWER BED 2
BED 3
LIGHT WELL
Planning Floor Plans
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Submitted Street Elevation Design
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Approved Street Elevation Design
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Concept Design Having secured planning permission the main risk to the project was discharged. We then worked closely with the client to review and finesse the design. With the exterior form and massing agreed we wanted to ensure the interior space was just as resolved. The upside down house typology has proven to be very successful and popular in other â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;signature housesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; completed by the practice and so it was important to apply that knowledge in this instance. The basement was the most challenging space to manipulate the provision of natural light and views out. The two main bedrooms benefit from full height glazed doors and windows onto the courtyard which brings in a significant amount of light throughout the day. The ensuite bathroom, the third bedroom and the hallway all benefit from walk-on skylights set into the floor above bringing light down. These have been aligned to form lightwells through the building or being placed below large areas of glazing so that all of these spaces benefit from the connection to outside. The glazing to the bedroom and bathrooms is obscured to protect the privacy of occupants. At ground floor the open-plan nature of the space lends itself to the light feel that is benefits from. With windows and doors on the front elevation, away from any impact to the neighbours and a strip of patent glazing at the rear, the space is dual aspect with views to the sky and adjacent trees. The first floor evokes the feeling of an alpine retreat, surrounded by the exposed timber structure and ceiling. There are three large rooflights set between the beams in addition to the two sets of floor-to-ceiling windows and doors leading out to views of the area.
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Basement Floor Plan
Basement Key Features:
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Three bedrooms (two doubles and a single) Courtyard Floor to ceiling windows Mirror cupboards for storage Family bathroom Natural light from above (skylights) Master EnSuite Utility space and storage below stairs Privacy
Ground Floor Key Features:
• • • • • • • • • • • •
Open-plan living, kitchen and dining room Unique kitchen design Office beside large window Secluded balcony WC with rooflight Lighting design Rear patent glazing Walk on skylight to basement below Bespoke timber and steel stairs Storage Private forecourt Refuse store and Air Source Heat Pump
Ground Floor Plan
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First Floor Key Features:
• • • • • • •
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First Floor Plan
Bright and spacious private living room More intimate Rooflights above Balcony and Juliet Balcony with green roof Exposed curved glulaminated timber beams Walk on skylight to ground floor below Bespoke lighting cast into resin floor
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Detailed Design For the detailed design we were able to use our experience to create a cohesive design language for the project, inside and out, linking together the architecture and interior design. Within the spaces there is a limited and carefully selected palette of materials. Externally the black brickwork and charred-larch cladding creates a bold statement within the street, confidently contrasting with the adjacent buildings. Internally, however, a softer and more welcoming and warm set of materials has been utilised. The brickwork continues into the bright ground floor interior, bringing the monolithic strength of the materials to provide a feeling of safety internally. The flooring is a light grey resin, providing a seamless and reflective finish to help bounce light around the spaces alongside Corian â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;warm greyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; worktops to contract with the darker brickwork. The final material used throughout the interior is a birch-faced plywood. This is used for all of the bespoke joinery including the kitchen, bathrooms and TV unit at first floor as well as linking to the stairs and the exposed glulaminated timber beams. This consistent feature ties the elements together and ensures all the rooms have a domestic warmth. Every detail and relationship has been fully considered and resolved, from the stairs and kitchen layouts, to built-in storage and even to include a bespoke fixture designed for the junction between the first floor and the glulam beams. This extends to the exterior with the forecourt door and storage areas clad in matching charred-larch provided by Shou Sugi Ban. The final detail was the exterior ivy, planted in the neighbourâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s garden, which grows up the side wall and onto the roof to embed the building within the street environment. 14
Complete Staircase Section
3D Model - Ground to First Floor Stairs
3D Model - Basement to Ground Stairs
Basement to Ground Staircase Design & Storage
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Elevation - Wall Units Birch-Face Plywood
Corian ‘Warm Grey’ Workstop & Upstand
Cosmos Grey Egger Board
Elevation - Facing Dining Table
Elevation - Island End
Elevation - Facing Wall Units
Elevation - Island End
Corian ‘Warm Grey’ Integrated Corian Sinks & Drainage Board Franke Active - Plus Onyx Black Sink Tap (Pull-Out Sprout) Solmer Edge Mounted HEXI Pull Handle Birch-Faced Plywood & Egger Cosmos Grey
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Kitchen Elevations & Material Specification
Hidden Worktop & Storage Cupboard
Fridge & Freezer Base Cabinet
Integrated Dishwasher
Integrated Corian Sink
Base Cabinet with Refuse
Base Cabinet
Base Cabinet
Integrated Corian Sink
Base Cabinet
Base Cabinet
Base Cabinet with Drawers
Integrated Induction Hob & Downdraft Extraction Base Cabinet
Base Cabinet with Drawers Base Cabinet with Large Drawers
Base Cabinet
Base Cabinet with Drawers
Full Height Unit with Integrated Oven
Kitchen
(Adjacent to open-plan Dining Space and Lounge)
Full Height Cupboard
Balcony
Kitchen Plan
Bespoke Joinery for First Floor Living Room
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80 mi minimum minimu minimum im m
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Master EnSuite Bathroom Drawings
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Detail of Bespoke Glulam Footing
Utility Cupboard Design
Concept Renders for First Floor and Ground Floor Spaces
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Bespoke Joinery for Bathrooms & EnSuite
Conceptual Facade Render
Front Door Setting Out
Ivy Green Wall & Roof Setting Out
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Construction Process The process of construction is rarely simple, however the constraints of the site made this particularly challenging. The practice has a wealth of experience in this type of complex backland and infill development, working closely with the contractor and members of the design team throughout the process to enable the works to be completed efficiently to realise the client’s brief. The initial works were to demolish the existing double garage and then to pile the site boundary. With limited space for storage and access, surrounded by neighbours, the works involved inhabiting 1m of neighbouring land to enable the piling to be completed against the boundary. Following this, the basement was excavated for the structure to be poured before being waterproofed and then a solid ground floor slab was created as the base for the remaining works to be completed above and below. The works required a sensitive approach when dealing with the neighbours. A ‘belt and braces’ approach to structure and waterproofing was provided to ensure a robust product for the client. Significant changes were made during this process, with the programme extended to 23 months. The resulting building, warranted by BLP and delivered within the client’s budget has been completed to the satisfaction of all involved.
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Site Clearance & Basement Excavation exposing the piles
Site Clearance & Ground Floor Slab Cast
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Progression of Brickwork & Steel Frame
First Floor Glulaminated Timber Beams
Installation of Metal Structure for Staircase
Elevation taking shape; Kitchen Installation; and Family Bathroom works
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Completed Project The complete transformation of the site into a contemporary family house gives our client the opportunity to live in with a unique design reflecting their identity. Filling the footprint of the site, the exterior creates privacy with a monolithic feel to the black brickwork and charred larch cladding in contract to the local vernacular. The curved roof form, exposed internally, provides the base for the neighbours to enjoy the ivy growing up the wall at the end of their garden. Bringing in natural light without impacting neighbouring amenity was critical, addressed using high-level strips of glazing and rooflights, with windows only located on the front façade or onto the private courtyard to provide natural light down into the basement. There are a series of rooflights built into the floors, creating lightwells down to the floors below as well as providing a connection to the outside and nature from every room. The project’s sustainability credentials follow a fabric-first approach alongside a solar array on the roof feeding energy to an air source heat pump, providing hot water and heating for the interior, with excess energy fed back to the grid. The constraints of the project have inspired the architectural resolution of the design, accommodating flexible living spaces in a spacious contemporary home. Darling House’s idiosyncratic style enhances its context, overcoming the project’s constraints by creating a coherent language throughout. Taking a collaborative approach, the project has delivered a unique design on a tight budget, creating a house built for urban living.
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Entrance from Clifton Road
View from Clifton Road
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View from First Floor Green Roof
View from First Floor Balcony
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First Floor Balcony
Orthogonal Massing from Basement Courtyard
Basement Courtyard
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Front Door & Entrance
Office Window
Open-Plan Entrance & Hallway
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Kitchen & Dining Room View
Kitchen & Balcony View
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View to Entrance from Dining Room
Panoramic View of Open-Plan Ground Floor
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Bespoke Kitchen Elevation
Rear Patent Glazing
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Bespoke Staircases & Integrated Storage
Ground Floor Casual Living Space
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First Floor Living Room
Rooflights & Exposed Glulaminated Timber Beams
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View to First Floor Balcony & Living Room Joinery
Ground to First Floor Stairs
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Basement Hallway to Bedroom 3
Family Bathroom
Bedroom 2 View to Courtyard
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Master Bedroom & EnSuite
Entrance to Master Bedroom
Master EnSuite Bathroom
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Afterword
Look out for the next Crawford Partnership book, coming later in 2019.
Photography Credit | Adam Butler Photograhpy
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