London Borough of Islington Development Awarded Practical Completion
Practical Completion has been awarded to a London Borough of Islington development, designed and managed by Stephen Alderdice Studio
Stephen Alderdice Studio won the commission to design the intensive retrofit, securing approval for the changes with London Borough of Islington, and managing the building works contract during the construction phase. The construction phase was delivered wonderfully by Lamabuild.
Background
The apartment is positioned on the middle floor of an Islington terrace with three living levels. At some point in the past, the building was sub-divided into apartments. This resulted in a series of unusual apartment layouts as circulation and points of entry became subject to the communal staircase.
Client Briefing
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Living
The primary living space was previously compromised by a lobbied arrangement in the corner which bisected original cornices and restricted the layout and use of the room. We removed the lobby partition, restoring the historic reading of the room and improved how the room can be used.
Master Bedroom
The master bedroom was located in the rear return, accessed by a short flight of steps. The room layout was dictated by the chimney which was not usable and the room had a poor outlook with the only window to the north face looking into a light well. We replaced the roof and demolished the chimney. This offered more floor space and flexibility to the room and enabled us to install a vaulted ceiling. We formed a window opening with views to the garden, and an axial vista, so that views toward the garden are possible from the street end (front) of the apartment. A roof light in the vaulted roof ensured that light into the master bedroom comes from three sources and directions, resulting in a light and spacious interior. The vinyl flooring was replaced with a reclaimed timber floor, drawing together the various rooms in the apartment with a single treatment.
Kitchen
The kitchen suffered from a lack of storage and a layout that did not make effective use of the space. We stripped out the cabinetry entirely, positioned a butler sink in front of the generous window, and formed a new U-shaped layout in the room that better responds to the functionality of the room. A key element in the design of the kitchen was the reclaimed iron worktop that wrapped around the room perimeter, ran into the chamfered reveal of the window and avoided the loss of worktop space of the former drainer by placing hand-routed grooves into the worktop itself.
Hall
The arrival into the apartment was both dark and tight as the apartment door was positioned midway along an internal corridor. We designed the new master bedroom roof with a hip in order to admit daylight through the former fanlight and we remodelled the tight corridor with a curved element that provided a more gracious, and spacious point of arrival into the apartment, where bags can be dropped and coats, hung.
Ensuite Bathroom
As part of the remodelling works in the master bedroom, we tucked an ensuite bathroom under the higher ceiling and redesigned the steps so that they were more generous in width and more integrated into the design of the apartment. The ensuite bathroom benefits from a window and geometric tile finishes which are intended to reinforce the historic era of the building. To save space in the master bedroom, the door to the bathroom is designed as a pocket door, so that the door does not swing into either the bathroom or the bedroom, as the door is sheathed within the depth of the new wall.
Kitchen
In order to improve the integration between Kitchen and Dining spaces, the partition and door were removed and replaced by a bi-folding pocket door. This allows the room to enjoy visual connectivity. The redesign of the kitchen also permitted the stove and oven to be positioned in a central position on the wall opposite the pocket doors and the new reclaimed London Pine floor can run seamlessly from one room to the other.
Contemporary Detailing
The execution of the pocket door design employs a contemporary and uncluttered treatment and is equally so in open and closed positions.
Loft Storage
The former access above the bathroom above the kitchen wall cabinets was impractical and the space itself unusable. We reinforced the ceiling in this void to create a functioning ‘loft’, and formed a crawl platform which would line through with the doors of the new wall cabinets and would be concealed by a push-release. This ‘loft’ space was lined with a sheet flooring and a gulley in the event of leaks from the upper level apartment which had caused damage in the past, with any future leaks being directed to a waste water overflow and to the mains sewers.
Apartment Storage
The remodelling of the hall provided the opportunity to form apartment storage. This was designed to accommodate the washing machine, releasing space from the kitchen, and future water storage in the event of a change in heating system in the future where water storage might be required. We designed the storage to accommodate all the various demands of the apartment as a whole, cloakroom, ironing boards, linen cupboards and so on. The whole assembly received a fluted and painted finish that reinforces the generous ceiling height and evokes the historic era of the building.
Project Feedback
“I mean, the flat is just lovely.
Absolutely gorgeous.
And every single day I still walk into rooms going,
I can’t believe it’s like this.”
The design and delivery of the project took place in a context where the client was living and working outside of the United Kingdom. Stephen Alderdice managed the whole process from designing the new interior, securing planning consent from London Borough of Islington, selecting a contractor and administering the building contract.
Project Feedback
“Given that I was [based abroad] in Jordan
and the normal process of talking things through
[...] was made much more complicated
by the fact that I was living in another country
[during the development project], I think you handled it [the
management of the project] absolutely brilliantly.”
The relational component of what we do is very important in safeguarding good project outcomes. This is rarely, even with the best of intentions, without some tensions at critical project stages. Our client reflected on our having challenged her on one occasion and was grateful that we did!
“I remember there was one point where you
challenged me to think a little bit about
how I managed my relationship [with the contractor]
you were very, very calm and very clear.
looking back on that, I think that was a very,
very good piece of advice, And I liked
the way you handled that.”
It was certainly the case where the client was not around that our role became even more central to the success of the project, but our client had an interesting reflection on the universal value of our role in “holding the vision.”
“I would say to anybody I know [who might be managing
a construction project, to] keep the architect [during this
phase of the project]
[During the construction phase] there will be a million decisions
that need to be taken. And someone’s got to hold the vision.”
The client was clear that it is one thing to have a vision, but it is another to “hold” the vision, in the midst of the myriad decisions on site and pressures, to have the skillset to see the big picture and to invite through effective relationships and communication to retain it from concept to completion. The client was very clear…
“You need [...] an architect to notice and understand where
you’re trying to get to, [and communicate it effectively] to
the builder.
I know it costs more [at first] but [it is worth]
every penny you’ll spend.”
More to follow…