Project Details

Vestige

Project Description

Originally commissioned as an extension and conversion of a tired Edwardian villa, this project soon evolved into something far more ambitious: the creation of an entirely new family home that challenges conventional ideas of suburban renewal. The existing house, long-neglected and shaped by outdated patterns of living, was a benign presence—familiar, unremarkable, blending quietly into the suburban streetscape. Any architectural departure from this status quo, it was clear, would be met with a cautious eye from the neighbourhood.

What began as a modest retrofit quickly revealed deeper systemic issues, including the constraints of an outdated UK taxation system that disincentivised meaningful transformation. The response? A bold yet contextual new-build that poses a key question: can a sustainable replacement home be woven into the established fabric of suburbia without losing its connection to place?

Reuse. Recycle. Resource.
These became the guiding principles. The existing structural grid was retained, minimising the need for new foundations. Salvaged masonry was repurposed for loadbearing elements, while new materials were sourced with care from sustainable origins—every decision made with an eye toward environmental responsibility.

The house was conceived as a reinterpretation of the original floor plan, its layout inspired by the disciplined geometry of a nine-square grid. Public and private zones are clearly articulated both spatially and in the building’s elevations. The thresholds between inside and out vary in scale and transparency, responding to each room’s orientation—whether facing the street, garden, or the open fields beyond.

Architecturally, the form is defined by four angular gables of differing pitch—a subtle nod to the surrounding vernacular, integrating the new structure into the rhythm of the existing roofscape. At its heart, a central entrance hall acts as the spatial anchor, a point from which the volumes radiate outward. This central void not only orders the composition but also establishes a hierarchy of space—generous open-plan living areas on the ground floor, and more intimate, cellular rooms above.

Materiality plays a unifying role. Brick serves both as a structural element and a visual foundation at the ground level. Treated with a lime bagged render, it connects the house to the broader language of suburban craft while abstracting and elevating its expression. This solidity gives way to lightness above: a timber-framed upper storey clad in slender cedar slats. The stained timber blends into the natural tones of the site, its varying profile casting soft shadows that animate the façade.

Ultimately, this home grapples with one of architecture’s enduring tensions: how to remain rooted in context through form, scale, and material, while simultaneously reimagining space to support the evolving rituals of everyday life.