Montrose
location : London, UK
year complete : 2014
usage : Private House
gross floor area : 240 m2
structure : Masonry , Steel intervention
architect : Luigi Montefusco, LBMV Architects
contractor : PBS Contracts
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London Victorian terraced houses often have a rear projection (or ‘closet wing’) which is narrower than the main volume of the house. Many owners desire to increase their usable space by making an infill extension in the alley left between the rear projection and the site boundary. This generally involves installing steelwork to support the remaining closet wing above to leave a large column free area, often with glass doors leading out onto the rear garden. This was the situation with this house.
Although simple in concept, this type of conversion is often diffi cult to do elegantly. The large opening onto the garden can mean that the beams and columns become too large, producing projections in the walls and bulkheads in the ceiling. Since the rear wall is completely removed, the steelwork also needs to act as stabilization to the building laterally, preventing the rear of the house swaying sideways under wind loads or becoming unstable.
Working on this project SE spent many days with the architect detailing the steel members and connections so that they would be properly integrated into the finishes. The resulting kitchen-dining space has achieved a high degree of simplicity and clean lines.
