Sophie Hicks Architects has completed a submerged house in Kensington, London. The site of just 75m² is in a conservation area, which meant a planning constraint height of two storeys – one above ground and one below.
005 main entrance
The ground floor has generous ceiling heights of up to 3m, with glazed extensions creating a visual connection to the surrounding trees.
The house has been constructed out of an exposed concrete frame with a rough board-marked finish, while the floors are polished concrete with underfloor heating. The high-specification glass is framed with a grid of steel T-section beams.
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Sophie Hicks Architects began by designing private houses before moving into architectural consultancy for a number of high-profile fashion companies to give expression to their brand identities – working with Paul Smith, Chloe, Acne Studios and Yohji Yamamoto.
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Architect’s view
Our goal was to create an urban house that was comfortable but sustainable – and looked and felt, in every sense, healthy. The challenge was to do so on a site of just 75m² in central London, in a conservation area where we were limited by planning constraints of two storeys.
The design aims to maximise not only the actual space internally but also the perception of space. We have thus built right up to the boundaries – something that entailed both delicate party wall negotiations and a careful choice of construction methods.
In addition, the house is visually open to the natural world outside, with abundant natural light and air and carefully framed views of the surrounding canopy of trees. The construction of the house is clean and legible. The structural frame is exposed concrete with a rough board-marked finish. The floors are polished concrete, which can be heated and cooled. The glazing of aluminium and stainless-steel framed windows and doors, some of which slide, is contained within a strongly dominant grid of T-section steel.
To reduce heat loss and solar gain, in line with Building Regulations, we chose high- specification glass, while we opted for a structure in concrete with significant thermal mass, for the same reason. The house is a quiet machine with heating, cooling, lighting and alarm systems to offset CO2 emissions.
Contemporary houses like this are sadly rare in Kensington – and even more rarely visible from the street.
Sophie Hicks and Tom Hopes, architects, Sophie Hicks Architects
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Project data
Start on site January 2017
Completion date July 2018
Gross internal floor area 150m²
Form of contract JCT Intermediate Works
Construction cost £944,000
Construction cost per m² £6,293
Architect Sophie Hicks Architects
Executive architect BB Partnership
Client Sophie Hicks Architects
Structural engineer MLM Consulting Engineers
Quantity surveyor Corrigan Gore & Corrigan Street
M&E consultant Libra Services
Lighting consultant Arup Lighting
Landscape consultant Tania Compton
Project manager BB Partnership
CDM co-ordinator HCD Management
Approved building inspector Head Projects Group
Groundworks and structure contractor GMP Glazing
Finishing contractor Advent Developments
Joinery Manning Bespoke
CAD software used Vectorworks
Annual CO2 emissions 18.2kg/m²
It would be interesting to know what previously occupied this site.
Love it… questions the norm… I think its great piece of product design, and considerable more mature than the Architect’s Sieghart House deign!. Iterative process of design.. I wonder how will the occupant cope with long dark winters…..