House extension in Twickenham

Check out the pictures of our latest project for a house extension.

This was a very interesting project that we carried out between 2018 and 2019 for a family of three with a small child. The project was in Twickenham and it included a first-floor extension and internal alterations to a peculiar Edwardian house dating from the 18th century.

The existing house included some interesting features; however, it had also been altered and extended in several moments in time and its overall feeling was not very cohesive from a design perspective.

The client had two requests: the first one was to add a bedroom and the second one was for a design that would create a sense of cohesion throughout the property.

The house was located just outside the Twickenham Green Conservation Area and this was quite a lucky coincidence, because obviously being within a conservation area means that you must take on board the conservation officers’ opinion.

From a planning perspective the project presented its own difficulties. With the client we agreed to submit a design for a first-floor extension to the rear. This type of extensions is always quite challenging planning-wise because of the potential to block other properties’ windows and to give a sense of enclosure to the neighbors, especially in a terraced house type of scenario.

The other challenge was the presence of a property nearby that was owned by a developer who had submitted a planning application proposing several alterations that would have an impact on our clients’ property, once implemented. In other words, everything we proposed had to consider the ongoing development next door.

At the very beginning of the project we considered several options. The first one was a very simple loft extension and the second one was a first-floor rear extension. We analysed all these options with the client and ultimately the decision ended up being made on both a design and a financial basis. The first-floor extension proved to be more efficient from both a spatial and especially a financial point of view. It also allowed to level up the ceiling of the property creating a more cohesive internal look.

The result is a project that that optimized the existing layout of the house, added a much needed extra bedroom, eliminated all internal steps and created consistent ceiling levels throughout the whole property.

A-frame extension in Hampton

Our project for an A-frame rear extension in Hampton has been completed and is now live. You can have a look at the latest photos by clicking here.

This project dates back from 2016 when our client, a young family of four with two children, got in touch with Square One Architects to design a single storey rear extension for their house, a 1930s semi-detached 2-bedroom property in Hampton.

The existing house was typical and featured a non-original conservatory that used to be too hot in the summer and too cold in winter. The rest of the ground floor was not very spacious and quite dark.

The client’s brief included the demolition of the existing conservatory and creation of a new extension with an open plan solution. The new open plan would include a generous kitchen, dining area and living space.

The client expressed an interest for a very specific type of structure that featured an “A-frame” , including a gable window and a set of bi-fold doors. This is not an unusual configuration; however, it presents its own challenges when built as an extension to an existing period building. The biggest challenge for this project was in fact the integration of the structural solution (designed by our structural engineer) and the existing structure.

The other challenge was planning. In first instance the council deemed the proposed full-width extension to be too large so we had to go through a negotiation process that led to the final solution which includes the rear extension and flat roofed side extension.

Square One architects managed to overcome these difficulties and delivered the project that our client wanted. The result is an incredibly spacious extension that benefits from a generous amount of daylight. As usual daylight was predicted using daylight simulation methods that come from our Director’s background in lighting design.

Look Out Day at the Kingston School of Art Architecture.

On March 4th we attended for the second year in a row the Look Out Day at the Kingston School of Art Architecture.

Square One Architects helped provide an opportunity for Kingston University students to develop their employability skills and build their network.

It was great to meet so many motivated students and have the opportunity to see their work!

What is the lookout day at kingston university?

Last year the Kingston University Architecture School got in touch with us. They were looking for local practices and employers from the South West London region to take part in a series of professional skills workshops with their students. The afternoon workshops were followed by a view of the Summer Show in the evening.

This event was part of Kingston's 'Looking Out' series in which the school invites practitioners, alumni and current practicing tutors to contribute practical advice about the profession.

Workshops included speed interviews and portfolio/CV reviews as well as the opportunity for practices to present themselves to final year students soon to be looking for work.

This was a great opportunity to meet and form connections with some very talented students before they graduated in the summer and help to bridge the gap between academia and the wider profession.

Fort two years Square One Architects participated to this event and we were not disappointed. From an academic point of view, I have always been a strong proponent of creating links between universities and local practices for several reasons.

The most important one is that university studies can be very theoretical. There is nothing wrong with theory, however architecture is a very hand on discipline, and it is not unusual to find very green architectural assistants who need significant coaching when hired by a practice. This is standard practice for any architectural office; however, universities can help easing this task by supplementing their teaching with a more practical approach.

In this regard I can confirm that Kingston is doing a very good job. We are currently working with a Kingston graduate and her approach has been very effective from day one. This was a huge relief for a Director who is very busy carrying out many tasks at the same time!

The importance of working with an Architect

It's very important for potential clients to check the credentials of their designer.

In Britain the term “Architect” is protected, this means that in order to call yourself an Architect you need to comply with certain standards.

The Architects Registration Board, or ARB, is a body responsible for keeping an updated register of all the Architects in the UK. In order to be registered with the ARB the perspective Architect needs to prove several academic qualifications, usually a Bachelor and a Master, but also that day they took a professional test called RIBA part 3. This is the equivalent to a formal professional qualification test in other European countries.

Many Architects also have Royal Institute of British Architects, or RIBA, credentials; this means that their portfolio of projects and academic qualifications have been carefully checked by a committee appointed by the RIBA. RIBA Chartered Architects also need to prove their insurance levels and commit to several standards set by the RIBA, in particular a specific Code of Professional Conduct.

Architectural practices can also be chartered with the RIBA, this means that the office as a whole has to abide by a number of rules and standards in terms of professionalism. Architects also need to prove that they have a suitable professional indemnity insurance that can cover the value of the projects they carry out and there is a set ratio of architects and designers/assistants.

In the UK, Architects are not the only ones who can produce projects. In theory anyone can submit a planning application or an application to building control. This brings me to the next point: sometimes designer call themselves “Architectural Designers” or any other name that doesn't include the specific term Architect. Although this may sound not very important, it essentially means that the designer does not have any formal qualification as an Architect. They may have other qualifications, but these are not strictly within the field of Architecture. It also means the designer doesn’t have to respond to any specific professional body and doesn’t not have to comply with specific standards. It also means the academic qualifications and professional experience of the designer have not been confirmed by any professional body. In other words, there is no specific standard for anyone that call themselves designers.

It's very important to understand the crucial difference between Architects and any other type of designers. We strongly suggest any potential client to choose practices with a specific chartered qualification from the Royal Institute of British Architects.

We just received our RIBA Chartered Practice certificate for this coming year!

Best of Houzz 2020

We won Best of Houzz 2020 award! You can check our profile here

Press release

Square One Architects of London

Awarded Best Of Houzz 2020

The Annual People’s Choice Award from the Houzz Community Highlights Home Renovation and Design Professionals with Most Popular Designs and Top Ratings

London, 14th February, 2020 – Square One Architects has won a “Best Of Houzz” award for Customer Service on Houzz®, the leading platform for home renovation and design. The 5-year old architecture firm was chosen by the millions of homeowners that comprise the Houzz community from among more than 2.5 million active home building, renovation and design industry professionals.

The Best Of Houzz badge is awarded annually, in three categories: Design, Customer Service and Photography. Design awards honour professionals whose work was the most popular among the Houzz community. Customer Service honours are based on several factors, including a pro's overall rating on Houzz and client reviews submitted in 2019. Architecture and interior design photographers whose images were most popular are recognised with the Photography award.

A “Best Of Houzz 2020” badge will appear on winners’ profiles as a sign of their commitment to excellence. These badges help homeowners identify popular and top-rated home professionals in every metro area on Houzz.

“We are very glad to receive this award that proves our committment to an outstanding customer service and bespoke design”, said Iacopo Sassi, Director of Square One Architects.

“This year’s Best Of Houzz awards go to an incredibly talented and service-oriented group of home renovation and design professionals, and we’re proud to highlight the winners on the Houzz website and app,” said Inés Cid, Managing Director for Houzz UK. “This award is particularly meaningful as it reflects the sentiment of the millions of homeowners in the Houzz community who are hiring home professionals for their projects across the UK and around the world.”

Follow Square One Architects on Houzz

About Square One Architects

Square One Architects is an  RIBA Chartered Practice based in Hampton, South West London, which specializes in bespoke residential architecture.

We believe designing and building your house should be a fun and exciting experience, whilst being overlooked by qualified professionals capable of not only understanding your needs and ambitions, but proposing new and unique solutions as well.

Our homes are the most important spaces we experience in everyday life and we, as a company, are convinced that their quality plays a crucial role in our well being.

About Houzz

Houzz is the leading platform for home renovation and design, providing people with everything they need to improve their homes from start to finish – online or from a mobile device. From decorating a small room to building a custom home and everything in between, Houzz connects millions of homeowners, home design enthusiasts and home improvement professionals across the country and around the world. With the largest residential design database in the world and a vibrant community empowered by technology, Houzz is the easiest way for people to find inspiration, get advice, discover products and hire the professionals they need to help turn their ideas into reality. Headquartered in Palo Alto, Calif., Houzz also has international offices in London, Berlin, Sydney, Moscow, Tel Aviv and Tokyo. Houzz is a registered trademark of Houzz Inc. worldwide. For more information, visit houzz.co.uk.

Project schedule #6 Rear Extension in Hampton Hill

Project schedule

Year: 2016-2017

Location: Hampton Hill, London Borough of Richmond upon Thames

RIBA Design Stages: 0-5

Architect:

Square One Architects

Structural Engineer:

Wallace Wheating

Building Control:

Building Control Approval

This project for a rear extension in Hampton Hill dates to 2016.

The clients, a retired couple, asked us to extend their property to the back. The existing house was a typical 1930’s semi-detached dwelling with a large garden to the rear. The clients’ initial brief was for a straightforward three meters rear extension with some internal alterations that would allow them to have an open plan layout, however they had an additional request: to retain a sunny corner in their outdoor patio. This led to the decision to design a three meters rear extension built under Permitted Development that would not use the full width of the rear garden in order to retain the sunny corner that our clients loved so much.

In order to highlight this design intention, we proposed to have an L-shaped window that would provide views to the rear garden and to the side patio at the same time. A set of large French Doors was then designed to allow access to the site patio. The client was also very keen to use triple glazed Swedish windows and chose West Coast Windows as their supplier.

It was agreed with the client to have a flat roof extension reminiscent of the 1930’s minimalist approach that would create a nice contrast with the existing style of the house. In order to highlight this minimalist approach, we concealed all the rainwater pipes within the new walls.

The same logic informed the materials inside the extension where a herringbone wood floor was chosen for both the existing and the new section.

As we always do, we simulated the amount of daylight that the extension would receive depending on the moment of the year to guarantee that the new new space would be very bright at any moment of the year without any overheating.

The result is an extension that enhances the existing building and is very cohesive in terms of interior design with the rest of the property. In this circumstance we worked with an interior designer who happened to be our clients’ daughter in terms of internal materials and color palette. It was a very successful project that pleased all the parties involved.

Before and after images

Rear elevation

Dining and sitting area

Project schedule #5 House Extension in Byfleet and New Haw

Project schedule

Year: 2018-2019

Location: Byfleet and New Haw, Runnymede Borough Council

RIBA Design Stages: 0-5

Architect:

Square One Architects

Structural Engineer:

Glencross & Hudson

Building Control:

Assent Building Control

This project was for an extension to a large detached house in Byfleet and New Haw for a family of three with a small child.

When the client got in touch with us in first instance, we visited the site and found that the house needed a renovation. The client was also not satisfied with the ground floor arrangement that was very partitioned and formed rooms that where both small and dark.

At first floor level the layout was more acceptable, however the house lacked the presence of a real master bedroom with a dressing area and an en-suite bathroom, which is something that you would expect from a property of this size.

Our brief was to extend a house with a rear extension and form a new open plan layout including a kitchen, dining area and sitting area. The client also requested a first-floor side extension on top of an existing garage that would provide space for an en-suite bathroom and dressing area linked to an existing bedroom.

We considered two options for the existing garage. The first one was to retain it and build on top of it and the the second one was to demolish and rebuild. As it often happens in these cases the option to replace the existing garage ended up being more cost-effective. It is not unusual to find period structure that are not able to carry any extra load from a structural point of view, especially at foundation level. In these instances, we always suggest our clients to hire a builder for a couple of hours, perform several trial pits and then submit the results to a structural engineer that will decide whether the existing structure is suitable or not. All the details will then need to be confirmed with Building Control.

The ground floor rear extension also features a set of large bi-fold doors that opens towards the rear garden and a window in correspondence of the kitchen sink. A set of two large flat roof lantern skylights also help bringing daylight in the new open plan area.

The first-floor side extension also features rear and front windows and a large skylight that guarantees uniform levels of daylight throughout the whole floor plan.

The clients’ feedback was very positive, and we appreciated hearing that they used their new spaces in a more practical way with their toddler always in sight. That's a big advantage of open plan layouts!

Before and after images

Rear elevation

Kitchen and dining area

Front elevation

Project schedule #4 House Extension in Barnes

Project schedule

Year: 2017-2019

Location: Barnes, London Borough of Richmond upon Thames

RIBA Design Stages: 0-5

Architect:

Square One Architects

Structural Engineer:

Glencross & Hudson

Building Control:

Building Control Approval

We started this project in 2017 for the client, a family of two.

The brief included a ground floor rear extension and a loft conversion to an existing terraced house in Barnes, South West London. The property fell within the Barnes Green Conservation Area.

As it often happens in these cases the challenges were not just architectural and structural. Planning in these instances can represent a potential roadblock, especially with the property falling in a Conservation Area.

The proposals were discussed with the client and then agreed with the planning officers. In this case we worked very hard with the Council proving the presence of similar precedents on the road and discussing the best design for the roof in order to be in keeping with the style of the Conservation Area. The initial proposals for a larger rear dormer was amended to allow for two smaller conservation style lead dormers that were welcome by the Council.

The property was also extended to the rear in order to form a new open plan layout with a galley kitchen opening on a patio that constitutes the only outside area of the house. In order to maximize the feel of space between the inside and the outside it was decided to have a flush threshold between the floors and use the same tiles for both the kitchen area and the patio. A set of large sliding doors also helped to create the feeling of a seamless transition between indoor and outdoor space. This project is an example of how good design can help maximize the spatial feeling even when square footage is limited.

An additional technical complication was the presence of a manhole within the existing property which had been double sealed. In order to carry out our extension and alterations we had to move the manhole to the new patio and reach an agreement with Thames Water.

We also pushed both the contractor and structural engineer to conceal the new structure within the existing ceiling to form a smooth transition between the various spaces at ground floor level.

In the end we were very pleased with the result and consider this project to be extremely successful.

Before and after images

Ground floor kitchen and dining

Ground floor patio and kitchen area

Second floor guest bedroom

First images of our new project for a loft extension in Hampton

We recently got planning approval for a loft extension project to a large detached house in Hampton. The project includes a new master bedroom, dressing area, a large bathroom and a new study opening on the extended staircase. We are now working on the detail design phase, more images will follow.

The client for this project provided Square One Architects with a brief that could be summarized as a loft extension for their Victorian 4-bedroom detached house located in the heart of Hampton and within the Hampton Village Conservation Area.

The property in question, an impressive large historic house built in the XIX century, was peculiar being detached from the neighboring property by a very narrow nominal gap.

The property had also been extended to the rear in more than one occasion and it featured a partly pitched and partly flat roof.

Unfortunately, the pitched roof did not have enough head height to form a habitable loft extension so one of the main requirements of the project from a planning perspective was to raise the ridge of the existing roof to meet the required standards.

It was agreed with the client to prepare a pre-planning application for a design that would involve raising the ridge of the existing roof and extending it towards the back. This configuration provided enough space for a master bedroom, a large bathroom, dressing area and a study.

Another request from the client was to keep the existing stair of the house as bright as possible. The presence of a very large skylight above the new stair and a large central shaft guarantees that this request is successful met.

Following the pre-planning application, the external look of the extension was slightly changed to introduce a mansard profile towards the rear and three conservation style dormers. This alteration was met very positively by the local authority that subsequently provided planning approval for the proposals.

The result is a very large loft extension that is in keeping with the character of the Conservation Area and at the same time addresses is all the targets that our clients included in the initial brief.

House refurbishment and extension in Hampton Hill completed

Our project for a house refurbishment and extension in Hampton Hill has been completed. You can check the final pictures here.

Our project for a full house extension and refurbishment in Hampton Hill has been finally completed. This was a remarkably interesting project with a client who proactively engaged in a dialogue with the Architect throughout the whole design phase.

The project started as a ground floor extension and full house redevelopment that would have eventually included a second phase with a loft extension. The client wanted a project that would consider both phases of the design at the same time to avoid any inconsistency at a later stage. As it often happens the clients plans had to change halfway and they decided to reduce the scope for the ground floor extension and carry on with the construction of the loft extension in one single phase.

Our approach has been flexible, and we redesigned parts of the project to exclude certain sections of the rear extension. The revised project included most of the internal alterations that would enhance the property as a whole in particular turning the existing stair 90 degrees to be parallel with the house.

By the end of the project, the property gained two extra bedrooms and one family bathroom at second floor level. Turning the stair 90 degrees allowed to provide a more logical layout at both the ground and the first-floor level. The stair benefits from a skylight at second floor level that provide daylight for the circulation whole space. This is a rare feature in these types of properties, and we feel that the presence of natural daylight in the middle of the house should always be welcomed.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank the client for their involvement at all stages and the contractor for building an extension that reflects our design. The construction process was overall very seamless, and this is due to the professionalism of the builders and the precision of the instructions included in our drawings package.

Construction of an extension to a house in Raynes Park has started

The construction of our project for a ground floor rear and loft extension in Raynes Park has started. The project includes some significant internal alterations to an existing semi-detached house. More images to follow.

This project for a three-bedroom semi-detached house in in Raynes Park comprised a ground floor rear extension and the loft extension plus number of internal alterations.

The clients first approached Square One Architects in 2018. The initial brief was for a rear extension that would include the larger open plan kitchen and dining area and a new, more private living space. The client’s wish list also included a small private study and a ground floor guest WC. The client also requested a new utility space at ground floor level with a washing machine and a sink.

At second floor level the client wanted to make use of their loft space by extending to the rear to form a new master bedroom and en-suite bathroom.

Square One architects was involved with the project from the very beginning. We helped the client designing the perfect space to match their needs and obtaining planning and building control approval. This project was the perfect example of how a strong and positive professional relationship between client and architect can help producing great design.

As usual we carried out a detailed analysis in terms of daylight intake and prepared precise artificial lighting layouts. The study area was placed towards the rear of the extension, with the option of making it part of the open plan or closing it with a sliding door. The same approach was used to the front reception room where a set of large sliding doors provides the options to keeping the spaces opened or more private.

As usual Square One Architects’ drawings also formed part of the contract and this allowed the contractor to provide a detailed quote.

Construction started in late 2019 and is now well underway. The final project pictures will follow shortly.

Rear extension in Hampton under construction

We recently visited the construction site of our project for a rear extension to a large detached house in Hampton and we were impressed by the quality of the open space and the amount of daylight received internally. The project is well underway, and we will shortly share the final pictures.

We recently went on site to see the progress for this large rear extension to a 1930s detached house in Hampton.

The existing house featured a non-original conservatory to the rear that did not address the client’s requirements. Our initial brief included the construction of a six meters rear extension that would include the kitchen, dining and sitting area. The project would also include a utility room a coat storage and a small guest WC.

The client had several other requirements, in particular the kitchen needed to have its own character and the overall architecture of the extension would have to reflect any changes in the internal layout. Another requirement was for a flush threshold between the inside and the outside in order to have a seamless transition between the new indoor space and the rear garden.

In order to provide a specific character to the kitchen it was agreed with the client to split the rear extension into two sections with the first one characterized by flat roof and the second one, above the kitchen, characterized by a pitched roof. This created an interesting rear elevation that reflected the changes in the internal layout as per our client’s request.

The project obtained planning approval in early 2019 and after that we worked with the client in order to achieve a fully detailed tender package that would be priced by several contractors. The winning contractor started works in late 2019 and the project is now almost completed.

Our site and confirmed that the strategy of having two separate roof construction types created an impressive space that feel bright and spacious, with its own strong character and with incredible views on the beautiful rear garden of the property.

Rear extension in Kingston now completed

Our project in Kingston for a rear extension has now been completed. Find more information and completion photos here…

Our project for a rear extension to a historic house in Kingston has been completed.

The client came to us in 2018 with a request to remove an existing unused conservatory with a solid rear extension that would supply a generous amount of daylight whilst being perfectly useable throughout the year.

The client, a retired couple, also requested Square One Architects to overlook the construction of the extension since they lived half of the year in the United States.

At the beginning of the project we tabled several options that used the same existing footprint as the original conservatory. Following the first few meetings it was decided to carry out a rear extension with a pitched roof that would be in keeping with the character of the existing historic property and the area in general.

The client also decided to use welsh slates for the roof that is a typical material in this type of houses.

Following planning we worked on the building control and tender package obtaining building control approval and several quotes for our clients’ consideration.

At the end of this stage the client chose a contractor that managed to build the project with a limited amount of supervision from our part, given the very detailed instructions included in our drawings that we provided at detailed design and pre-construction stage

The result is a beautiful rear extension that uses traditional materials welsh slates, reclaimed bricks and white windows with a contemporary spin.

Renovation of a historic house in Hampton under way

We recently visited the construction site of one of our projects which involves internal and external alterations and refurbishment of a 1920’s historic house of Townscape Merit in the heart of Hampton. The works will be completed soon, and more pictures will follow.

The client approached Square One Architects in 2017 to carry out several alterations to the house. The core of the project was a conversion of an existing basement to a habitable space that would be used as a third bedroom and a home gym. The plans also included a new bathroom with sauna and shower.

In order to access the basement level, we designed a new stair that would connect all the levels of the property. The new modern stair replaced the existing one that connected ground and first floor levels only.  These changes to the existing stair also involved remodeling the existing entrance lobby at ground floor level.

The project also included several other alterations including a new pedestrian access to the house, two new skylights at first floor level, the complete refurbishment of an existing green house and new lighting throughout the property.

In this instance Square One Architects agreed the initial plans with the clients, obtained all the necessary planning permissions, developed technical details and successfully applied for building control approval in order to convert the basement to a habitable space.

It was a very interesting project for a unique building. The original structure dated back from the 1920’s and had been used as a boatyard initially. The property was then converted to a recording studio. Rumor says that Pink Floyd rehearsed in this building, which is not impossible given its proximity to Fred Karno's Houseboat Astoria, a floating recording studio owned by David Gilmour.

We can’t wait to visit the finished project and to publish the final project pictures!

New project in Hampton

We have been appointed to develop a loft extension and a ground floor extension to an interesting 1930's bungalow in Hampton. More images will follow in the near future

The client, a family of three with one child, approached us in 2019 with an ambitions project for their two bedrooms bungalow in Hampton. Bungalows have always a great potential in terms of further development due to their usually very large footprint.

In this case the existing bungalow had been extended to the rear, however the extension was not heated and poorly built. Another issue is that the previous owner had not opened the original rear wall of the property and because of this, the original rooms facing the back of the property had lost views and daylight. This is a very typical scenario and we had to face similar situations in the past, for example in the case of our project for a rear extension in Kingston that can be seen here.

The project is divided in three phases that include a loft extension, a side extension and a rear extension. In these circumstances we usually suggest designing the whole project in one go and then extrapolate the various elements to be built in different phases.

In this instance the first stage will involve extending the existing roof of the property to form two or three new bedrooms and a family bathroom. The project also involves extending the existing roof through side dormers that will allow to achieve the necessary head height throughout the second floor.

Two apex windows, along with a number of skylights, will provide daylight to the new bedrooms and will be one of he features of both the front and the rear façade.

We can’t wait to show more detailed drawings and start construction of this interesting project.

Crittall style doors for a project in Hampton

We love Crittal style doors and windows. In this instance the doors were supplied by Fabco Sanctuary

For the second time in a row we used Crittall style doors and windows supplied by Fabco Sanctuary for a project of ground floor rear extension in Hampton.

In this instance the client approached us after having seen our project for a rear extension in Teddington and asked to use the same type of doors that had been used in that instance. We were very glad to adopt the same solution for this project because we are big fans of these types of steel doors and windows that maximize daylight and views thank to their thin frames.

Crittall doors and windows have a long history in Britain. These types of steel doors and windows frames have been fabricated since the 1930’s. Crittall remains one of the most important manufacturers of these steel doors and windows, however there are several other companies that provide competitive “Crittall style” frames.

Modern thermal requirements meant a change in the design of the frame to include double glazing and thermal breaks.

Despite not being the most thermally efficient doors and windows on the market these types of frames manage to achieve levels of transmittance that are generally accepted by building control.

We feel that the industrial look of these doors and windows along with the simple lines of a minimal white flat roof extension provide character and contrast to extensions carried out for houses that date back to the 1930`s or similar period.

The project has been now completed and the final pictures can be seen here.

Penthouse in Walthamstow: terrace

An external view of the penthouse flat in Walthamstow. The large terrace provides great views of London

The penthouse for this project of a multi-storey residential building in Walthamstow represents one of the highlights of this project.

Set on the 5th and 6th floor of the building, the penthouse design was the initial reason why the client approached us in first instance.

The initial idea was for Square One Architects to be involved in the redesign of the internal layout of these two floors. With time the project scope became larger to include the other floors off the property.

Our contribution to the project included the rationalization of the internal floor plan in order to include a large kitchen and dining area, two generous bedrooms including a master bedroom and a large family bathroom.

The internal stair led to the 6th floor where the main living space of the property could be found. From here large glazed surfaces provided both daylight and access to a very spacious terrace with a glass balustrade.

The terrace looks really stunning and the views across this part of London are truly unique. You can see the rest of this project`s pictures here.

Garden office in Hampton published on Real Homes

Looking back at the publication of our project for a garden office in Hampton on the July issue of Real Homes Magazine.

Our project for a garden office in Hampton was published on the July 2019 issue of Real Homes Magazine.

This marks a very significant step for our firm since it is the first relevant national publication of our work.

The project of the garden office is understandably a project that is very close to our heart since it is our very own office.

The idea of having a separated building for our practice dates to 2015 when the office was founded. The idea behind this was that it would make sense to enhance our property and at the same time achieve a very practical space to carry out our operations. With many people working remotely from home I suspect that this kind of configuration will become more and more popular.

We feel that our office is much more than a traditional garden office shed and from a planning perspective, it is a very good example of what you can build under Permitted Development.

We are very happy that our project was recognized as worthy of publication. The office itself proved to be a wonderful space to carry out or work as Architects in every moments of the day. The amount of daylight received both in the morning and in the afternoon is just optimal in any season of the year and this makes us very satisfied.

In a sense we treated the office project as our very own experiment and we can say that it embodies all the qualities that we try to achieve in every project: attention to detail, materials quality and careful relationship between architecture and daylight.

The same magazine asked to publish an article for another Square One Architects projects, the house extension in East Sheen. This may follow in the next few months; we will certainly keep our blog updated!

Render vs finished product for the multi-storey residential building in Walthamstow

We always like to look back at our drawings and compare them with the finished product. In this image we put side to side a 3d render produced during the detail design phase (while we were studying with the client the best materials for the facade) and the finished building.

First, a big thank you to Stefano D’Arco who produced the 3D rendering above for our multi-storey resi building project in Walthamstow. The render was successfully used by the client as both a valuable marketing and a design tool.

I always find it very interesting to compare the 3D images at design stage and the completed building photos like we did for our project of a house extension in Byfleet and New Haw that can be seen by clicking here.

In this instance the client decided to carry out some changes to the façade colours before starting construction, but the similarity between the photo realistic image and the photo is obvious. This proves that renderings can be a powerful tool to show a design to both final users and contractors in a very inspiring fashion.

At the office we are equipped with the software and skills to produce 3D models, however we tend to leave the final rendering stages to a specialist. This usually adds a small cost to the design fees (an insignificant amount in the grand scheme of things), however we feel this is always justified and can help taking some decisions at early stages that would be very costly to make during construction.

In the example above the client decided to change a dark brown paint in the middle section of the elevation for a much brighter one. It was much easier to take this decision before starting construction than asking the builder to re-paint an entire façade!

Multi-storey residential building in Walthamstow

We are excited to announce that a beautiful residential building has been finished in the lively neighbourhood of Walthamstow. This achievement is a significant milestone for the architectural landscape of the area. At Square One Architects, we were involved in designing the interiors and lighting for nine stunning flats within this building. We paid close attention to detail and focused on creating spaces that are both modern and functional. Each flat is elegant and sophisticated, with a seamless flow and a combination of natural light and carefully selected materials that enhance comfort and create a peaceful atmosphere.
Furthermore, our team has gone the extra mile to design spaces that meet the different needs and preferences of potential residents. Whether you're looking for a small and comfortable apartment or a large and luxurious penthouse, each flat provides a special and customized experience that suits modern city living. We've carefully thought about every aspect, from the modern and attractive kitchens to the lavish bathrooms, to guarantee a perfect blend of style and practicality.

The photo below shows the stunning penthouse, highlighting its carefully designed interior. Every part of the space fits together beautifully to create a perfect balance between luxury and comfort. The penthouse has a calm and timeless beauty, with a consistent colour scheme and plenty of natural light flowing in through the large windows.

Below is an image of the large and stylish kitchen in the new penthouse in the neighborhood of Walthamstow. The kitchen has a modern design and appliances, making it a great place for cooking. In addition to the beautiful interior, the kitchen offers stunning views of the city and nature, creating a peaceful atmosphere while you cook. The kitchen is designed to be both practical and beautiful, making cooking a pleasant and inspiring experience for the lucky residents of the penthouse.