Merry Christmas from
Crawford Partnership
Annual Review 2020
A year in review 2020 has been a unique year for all of us, dominated globally by the impact of COVID-19. Who could have imagined at the start of the new decade that we would soon be thrown into previously uncharted territory that would potentially change the world of work and daily life for ever?
During this difficult time, it has been a busy and exciting year for Crawford Partnership, maintaining progress on all our existing projects, especially those under construction, and finding new and lateral ways of avoiding the delays resulting from the impact of the pandemic. We have seen how our cloud-based data and phone installations From the onset of the virus and the first Government have been paramount in enabling our workflow to lockdown advice, we were immediately transitioning continue relatively unabated. to homeworking rules, which we were able to adjust to with our existing technologies. However, working Despite some downsides in working our way through a year of flux, there have been several positives from home, whilst suiting some, is not a long-term that we can build on and benefit from in 2021. The solution for everyone, with continued isolation greater implementation of digital technology has of being separated from work colleagues, daily enabled us to remotely meet and share drawings meetings undertaken virtually, and as we all know with clients, consultants, and contractors which we now, simply the act of dressing for the day, and will continue into the New Year, and we have been importantly the drastic impact it has had on our cities, all of which has taken considerable toll on our very fortunate that the emergence of the growing homeworking era has brought new enquires from general health, wellbeing, and motivation. clients who are experiencing the difficulties of living and working at home 24/7, with insufficient or badly Nevertheless, we have bridged this initial transition, arranged spaces at home, and who want to discuss adapting to the vagaries of a new world order, extending or reconfiguring them. which also brought a relatively new word to our vocabulary, that being “furlough” which at In 2021, as architects, we will increasingly face the Crawford Partnership we have avoided entirely, challenges around issues of climate change and however, we have seen many of our work colleagues thrown into this traumatic situation which energy conservation, urbanisation and migration, will likely extend for 13 months and may bring about the housing crisis and homelessness, the impact of artificial Intelligence, robotics, and automation on a new era in the future of work.
work and employment, big data and privacy, smart homes and smart cities, changing transportation, and the impact that these will have on the built environment and how they will increasingly influence our thinking and approach in the design of our work. We relish challenges and we will continue to push boundaries and explore innovative solutions utilising the opportunities afforded by the latest construction techniques and sustainable design to redress the imbalance brought about by the pandemic. Despite the unique challenges this year has presented, we have remained positive throughout. As we fast approach the final days of this surreal year, the office is now looking forward to some wellearned rest and 5 days of ‘jolly careful’ cheer. We hope you will enjoy reading our 2020 Annual Review of work, and we wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and look forward to catching up with you again in 2021. Alan, Maria and all the team.
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Our Work
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Scott Court
NW10
Having secured permission previously for two houses and six flats, the design was altered due to more detailed survey information about existing infrastructure on site and nearby. This necessitated a new approach, building on the previous proposals meaning that at the end of 2019, a revised design had been submitted to planning for this challenging narrow site in Brent. The new proposal, extending the gable end of an existing, but unattractive, 1950s shopping Parade breathes new life into the area. A contemporary translation of the existing vernacular, evocative of aspects of the Arts and Crafts style, creates the six new flats. To the rear of their gardens and balconies, a new terrace of three houses has been created within a tranquil green area looking onto the adjacent strip of protected green space. Having increased the development potential for the site with a new planning permission, we are now looking to commence the works at the start of 2021 on what is likely to be a challenging 18-month build.
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Muswell Hill Broadway
N10
With High Streets suffering from a growing number of empty shops as a result of the pandemic, our commercial and residential project in Muswell Hill Broadway aspires to help regenerate the area. This type of positive investment is needed to maintain the heart of a community. Alongside these important issues, there is the on-going housing crisis, and the provision of more living accommodation that is located near to services and transport links is more important than ever now. The design, which secured planning in 2018, and was intended to commence construction in 2019, has subsequently been prepared for construction to commence, however the unknowns and volatility in the construction sector combined with events of 2020, have impacted the progress of this scheme. In the interim, we have explored options, such as raising the building by an extra floor to gain additional living accommodation. This is the type of rooftop development combining retention of existing buildings is now being encouraged by Government with some rooftop additions allowed under Permitted Development Rights. With construction drawings and all the permissions in place, subject to COVID-19 issues diminishing, the scheme is planned to go ahead in Summer 2021.
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Rooftop Addition, Cockfosters EN4 Sympathetically updating the existing building by the addition of a new floor to be constructed on the existing flat roof in the form of a mansard roof to be finished in slate tiles and incorporating traditional dormer windows. This will provide four new spacious 3 bedroom flats accessed by new lift installations. In addition, by upgrading and enhancing the existing flats by introducing new balconies within the existing window openings and period styles doors. The added rooftop floor, new architectural features and landscaping will significantly modernise the entire building providing a new contemporary aesthetic whilst retaining its local vernacular to its existing surroundings and enhancing its current building elements.
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House Renovation & Extension, Muswell Hill N10 Having achieved planning consent for our clients in 2020 for the refurbishment and extension of an existing two-storey ‘Coach House’ within the Conservation Area of Muswell Hill, this year we commenced with the detailed and tender design stage of the works, aiming to invite tenders form contractors in January 2021, and to commence construction on site in Spring 2021. During the ongoing lockdown, we have continued to work remotely with our clients developing ideas mutually on finishes for the exterior and interior design, and continually reviewing budget costs. This joint participation has led to the design evolving with additional work added to enhance the project overall. The proposed works are intended to create a sympathetic dialogue between the old and the new, maximising available space, and reflecting the original style and materiality of the Coach House using materials and fittings that include eco-friendly zinc cladding on walls together with ‘Crittall’ style windows within large openings, and paving setts used externally. When completed, the newly modernised home will provide our clients with the additional space and flexibility that has proven essential in accommodating the new norms of working from home.
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New House, Isle of Wight PO40 Located on the Isle of Wight and set on a cliff side overlooking the English Channel within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the design proposals for a bespoke new house have been developed following lengthy dialogue and research of the area. Through a pre-application submission, delayed by the pandemic, a subterranean house that responds to and enhances the unique character and topography of the area has been designed, with a strong focus on achieving zero carbon goals and with sustainability self-sufficiency in energy use at its heart. Utilising @Harvester’ solar technology developed by our client, which is integral to the exterior fabric and which collects solar energy and provides drinking water – the proposals aim to set a new benchmark for ‘off grid’ eco-homes. Inspired by nature, and to reflect the site’s charm, a curved design, embedded in the hilltop and benefiting from fantastic panoramic views south, has been proposed. Although different from the local traditional vernacular, much of the new structure is hidden and covered with gorse and sedum to maintain a natural appearance in the cliff side setting to help overcome any concerns. This is a fascinating project that we will be following up further on in 2021.
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Housing Development, Epping Forest EN9 One of our existing clients got in touch about this potential greenfield site that has been specifically identified for residential development in Epping Forest. The site, which is larger and less constrained than we are used to, often working in tight urban infill or backland locations, is a fantastic blank slate to work from and prepare a detailed initial proposal for in relation to high-quality and sustainable suburban living. Having researched various designs, masterplans and reports on the quality of this scale of ‘mass’ housing, we wanted to develop an alternative contemporary route which is attractive, well-landscaped, with good access but not dominated by the car, and providing a great development opportunity as well as highly saleable houses. After some initial pre-application discussions with the planning department, we continue to review the proposals for an overall masterplan for the area and hope that this will be a project to watch out for in the future.
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Greens of Highgate N10 & N6 This year, we were approached by the owners of Greens of Highgate, a flower and vegetable brand that was looking to expand their operation into Muswell Hill. This was a novel project for us, and we assisted with designs of a new shopfront fascia and canvas awning application for their new outlet, located in the Conservation Area in Muswell Hill Broadway. Having secured this permission, they then returned to us to get a matching frontage for their original shop on a prominent corner of Highgate High Street. In other instances, their location at the heart of these historic communities was the perfect location for a prominent but subtle signage design incorporating contemporary greys with white traditional lettering.
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New House, Ealing W5 The construction of this new build detached house in Ealing is intended to give our client’s son his first step on the housing ladder. Following receipt of planning consent granted in late 2019, we embarked on the detailed design and tender drawings, with works then commencing on site in July 2020. The exterior and interior design of the two storey, 100m2 house, has been developed in detail in close collaboration with our clients to maximise the internal space and natural light, incorporating large window openings on the main façade, whilst being sympathetic to the existing architectural vernacular with brickwork used in a contemporary design interpretation. The house aims for near Passive House standards with the incorporation of highly insulated walls, floors and roof and triple glazed windows. A mechanical extract ventilation and heat recovery system, heating and hot water provided from an air source heat pump, and solar PV panels to supplement energy from the grid, all controlled by smart home technology, are intended to reduce carbon emissions, and maintain the health and well-being of the occupants. The new house is programmed to complete by spring 2021 and will be the latest addition to our increasing portfolio of ‘signature houses’ that is a mainstay of our niche specialism in transforming brownfield and urban infill sites into contemporary homes that maximise the opportunities for 21st century living for our clients.
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Mixed Use Mews, Islington N7 After working closely with our client and the Islington Planning Department through various applications, we secured approval for the design of five houses and an office at the start of 2020. On a narrow site with a long street frontage, the mixture of two and three-storey contemporary buildings, with a basement to the office, will create a terrace to replace a cluster of shabby low-rise buildings and structures which have become overgrown and a blight on this part of the street. In detailed discussions with the Design and Conservation Officer at Islington, who shares our vision for the proposal, we are looking to deliver a quality contemporary interpretation of the established vernacular of Islington townhouses. Works to prepare for the construction to commence have been hampered by the pandemic. Limited access to site, planning officers working from home, and other factors have also slowed this process, however we are hoping that demolition and construction will be able to commence early in 2021 with a 15 to 18-month programme expected to complete the works.
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New House, Ascot SL5 After protracted negotiations and ongoing discussions with planners at the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead, involving a combination of planning policy reviews, Permitted Development considerations and other applied knowledge, we secured permission in September 2020 for a new house to replace an existing single-storey dilapidated storage building. The compact backland site, formerly storage to shop, is located down a narrow passageway off the main High Street in Sunninghill. The contemporary two-storey house will be occupied by our client and his family, and includes a new basement level, excavated to provide two large bedrooms, one of which includes an ensuite bathroom and master dressing room with access onto a new external open courtyard, and at ground floor with a small garden area connected to the open-plan kitchen, living and dining room, with two niches to provide a home office space. The design, which takes its cues from the datums and local context of scale and materials found in the area, will be private, bright, and spacious, building on our expertise for maximising the building footprint and working positively with the site’s constraints to create signature houses. Works have already commenced towards taking the project on site in 2021.
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New House, Muswell Hill N10 During the Summer of 2020, we were approached by clients interested in creating a new home on a small compact garage plot in the ‘Rookfield’ Conservation Area in Muswell Hill. The site has unique views out towards London and is characterised by its sloping topography and existing foliage that we considered as design opportunities. The clients are passionate to create a highly sustainable, zero energy ecohome utilising energy-efficient technologies to minimise their carbon footprint and to enhance the health and well-being of the occupants. This has been an agenda that Crawford Partnership have been pursuing over a number of years, and the challenge of creating the new home is something that we relish. Our design takes advantage of the sloping site by introducing a semibasement, with an open plan ground floor level with flexible use providing private and open spaces, and with an exterior design that takes cues from the existing architectural variety of period homes found within the Conservation Area, interpreted in a contemporary idiom. A pre-planning application was submitted in September 2020, and we are now progressing a full planning application following the feedback from Haringey Planning Department, aiming to submit a full planning application early in 2021.
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House Renovation & Extension, Hampstead NW3 Located within the Conservation Area of Hampstead Village, this residential refurbishment and extension scheme was radically transformed for our clients from a tired, anachronistic and dilapidated 1950’s terraced dwelling to a contemporary house featuring all modernday amenities. As part of the works, the house was completely rebuilt and extended to the rear while retaining the front façade. By considered and selective design sympathetic to the Conservation Area, we have been able to provide a contemporary feel, with large open plan space at ground floor and window openings that seamlessly merge the new rear garden with the internal space. The large ground floor rear extension, built with brick and glass, creates flexible, open plan living, with kitchen and dining space, and a new loft conversion enables space for the main bedroom and ensuite bathroom. A complete internal refurbishment with the introduction of a bespoke staircase and bespoke lighting design, greatly enhances the spaces, and works also include front and rear garden landscaping incorporated.
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Specialist Affordable Housing, Southwark SE15 In bringing this project for a national youth homeless charity in fruition, we have been working tirelessly with their dedicated team to transform a derelict property built in the 90s into a new form of affordable housing targeted at young homeless people who are self-reliant and employed. Utilising volumetric construction techniques to manufacture modules off-site, the new design will provide thirty-three new self-contained flats surrounded by communal garden spaces. This could be one of many potential schemes, across the UK, to provide homes for young people and support the final transition for those who have been or are at risk of becoming homeless, into the private sector. Having been supported unanimously at a Planning Sub-Committee by Southwark, we are hoping that construction will commence in Spring 2021 and be occupied in the Autumn.
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New House, Hampstead N2 Located off The Bishop’s Avenue, formerly one of the most prestigious roads in London, this triangular site is occupied by a dilapidated house and garage. An earlier project on this site was originally worked on by us in 2011. At that time, we secured permission for a substantial 1,200 m2 house, including two levels of basement, as the perfect retreat from the city for a wealthy family. Since then, we have been extending the planning approval and exploring alternative options to replace the existing dilapidated house and garage. Earlier in the year we were invited by the new owners to explore a variety of redevelopment options with Barnet planners, including one scheme for five apartments, and another with two semi-detached houses. These proposals sought maximise the development potential of the site, however, since these earlier concept proposals were designed, we have recently been invited to look at designs for a smaller and more harmonious single detached house for future occupation. The scaled down house is smaller than previously approved with an area of 470m2 set over two floors. The new layout comprises a landscaped entrance forecourt and drive, and more private rear garden spaces, along with double garage. Internally, a grand entrance ‘hinge’ connects the two wings of the house which contain a variety of spacious and open plan living and entertaining spaces at ground floor, with four bedrooms above. We are hoping to receive positive feedback from the planners early in 2021 and progress from there.
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House Renovation & Extension, Camden NW5 In November, we completed the refurbishment and extension of the three-storey Victorian terraced house, which is located within the Inkerman Conservation Area in Kentish Town. Our design proposals rationalise the previous disjointed spaces at ground floor, and provide a new two-storey contemporary addition on the rear with a ‘floating’ first-floor bathroom clad in dramatic black charred larch boarding that hovers over a transparent glass ground floor extension accommodating a reconfigured open plan kitchen and dining space that opens seamlessly onto the garden courtyard creating an indoor/outdoor room. This was a challenging project with works on site continuing through Covid-19 pandemic, which affected the programming of all construction projects across the country. Despite the difficulties posed by this reality, we were able to complete the project and deliver it to our clients, who were keen to achieve modern, light and airy spaces. This project sets a paradigm on ‘Improve Don’t Move’ and the possibilities of refurbishing existing period buildings applying contemporary design solutions that enhance living standards at competitive costs, which is a major consideration when considering the increasing costs of moving home.
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New Mews Development, Hampstead NW2 Construction commenced in Spring 2019 on this new mews development in Hampstead, which used to be a vehicle repair workshop. The creation of three, four-storey contemporary family homes confined on a tough backland site, surrounded by neighbouring properties on all sides has been challenging. With a complicated superstructure design and dealing with complex issues of site and context levels, the project is nearing completion. Accessed through a gated driveway, there is an attractive secondary private entrance for pedestrians into the site beyond the parking forecourt. Each of the houses has a small private front garden, with a spacious open-plan ground floor containing the kitchen, living, and dining rooms. The master bedroom suite, with a private external courtyard and utility room, are in the basement, with two or three bedrooms in the upper floors, or flexibility for a home office. Works are in the final stages, with landscaping, external elements and finishes being completed to achieve the highest quality in advance of marketing of the homes over the Christmas period. We anticipate completion in Spring 2021, benefitting from the usual peak sales period for the housing market.
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New House, Ascot SL5 An existing client contacted us with aspirations to develop a small garden site they owned located near Ascot. The brief was to obtain planning consent to construct an additional semi-detached house by attaching the house on the end of the existing house that he owned and had just renovated. Comprising of a narrow strip of garden belonging to the original house, this is another challenging site typical of Crawford Partnership projects. The existing neighbouring house is also a simple design, with a hipped roof, bay windows, red brick and uPVC windows, and the client was keen to upgrade the simple design with something slightly more 21st century in style. Our approach was to carefully balance the site context and existing vernacular with the brief for a contemporary design. As a result, we then prepared a number of design options to discuss with the Windsor & Maidenhead planners as part of a pre-application submission. Working with the pre-application feedback provided by the planning department, we have developed another hybrid iteration of the earlier designs with a simpler, symmetrical proportions considered to be more appropriate and sympathetic to the adjoining house. Internally, the spaces offer comfortable living, with an open plan ground floor connecting out to the rear garden. There is also a spacious front garden, providing defensible space for the occupants. Above this there are three-bedrooms, and with full planning submitted we are awaiting a decision in December with a view to taking the detail designs forward in 2021.
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House Extension & Renovation, Mill Hill NW7 We were approached before the second national lockdown by the owners of a detached house located in a recently built housing development in north London, who were struggling to make the rooms and spaces within their existing property work for them, particularly with the increasing need to work from home. As a result, we have been appointed to extend and refurbish the existing property. A full-width rear extension at ground floor gives more space for the family, including a new state-of-the-art kitchen to reflect the client’s passion for cookery, having been a chef, and which will become the new hub of the reconfigured and extended spaces. There is also a new and extensive rear dormer window proposed at second floor level that will transform the existing loft space, converting two smaller bedrooms into a spacious principal bedroom, with ensuite bathroom and dressing room. These external changes will also be reflected inside, with the reception rooms being extended into the new garden addition, and with the existing layout reconfigured to create smaller informal niches for working or reading, alongside larger spaces for communal use. The designs have been submitted to the London Borough of Barnet planning department, and we are hoping for an early Christmas present, with a decision due on the 23rd December. Something to take forward into 2021.
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News & Events
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January
July
September
Alan was invited to attend the CEDIA Design and Build Conference as part of the global Integrated Systems Europe trade fair and exhibition in Amsterdam
As part of Alan’s ongoing involvement with RIBA North London Architects Group, an online webinar was organised with one of the group members, Thomas Saunders giving an excellent online presentation on ’Vitruvius and the Twenty First Century’
Alan was invited to participate as a judge in the 2020 Designer Awards, which recognises the best in UK and international kitchen and bathroom design. The judging took place remotely this year with the awards presented as part of an online extravaganza. Alan was also invited to participate as a judge in the annual Global CEDIA Awards.
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March
June
October
Alan was invited to participate in the inaugural episode of ABB’s Frozen Music series of short films on architecture projects from around the world that incorporate ABB technology. The selected project was our completed scheme of 4 new build houses at Darcies Mews.
As part of Alan’s ongoing involvement with RIBA North London Architects Group, he was delighted to be involved in the annual student awards judging panel reviewing projects from students at the Architecture Association. This year presentation were all carried out online.
Alan was invited to participate in the LEAF VIRTUAL Forum 2020 and Interviewed James Ehrlich, Researcher and Lecturer at Stanford University and Founder, ReGen Villages Holding discussing ‘the development of thriving regenerative community environments and the future of residential design in 21st century lifestyles’, and also in a round table discussion on ‘Achieving sustainability in the built environment’ .
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Aris Qualifies
In October Aris completed his ARB/RIBA Part III course at the Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL following 18 months of hard work and has now qualified as an Architect. Having worked at the practice for 3 and a half years, Aris was able to draw on his extensive experience successfully delivering projects of multitude of different scales to assist his studies.
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We hope you enjoyed our annual review. All of us here at Crawford Partnership would like to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a happy New Year
CR
PA