London House Extension Competition, Building, Project, Photo, News, Design, Property, Image
House Extension Contest London
NLA ‘Don’t Move, Improve!’ Competition, England, UK – Design Contest
8 Dec 2009
House Extension Contest
New London Architecture News release
DON’T MOVE, IMPROVE! winners announced
An extension to a Victorian terraced house in a Hackney conservation area, designed by Platform 5 Architects, has been announced ‘Overall Winner’ in NLA’s ‘Don’t Move, Improve!’ competition to find the best and most innovative home extensions in London. An exhibition of the 32 shortlisted and winning schemes will be on display at the NLA galleries from Tuesday 8 December to Saturday 30 January, with a day of free public advice and talks by the architects, as well as experts in design, planning and sustainability on Saturday 23 January 2010.
The competition, launched in association with Time Out, RIBA London and The Building Centre in Autumn 2009, and sponsored by Brick Development Association, Dendura and Molteni & C, was open to architects and homeowners who had completed extensions in London within the last five years, as well as to architects and designers with imaginative ideas for creating more space to live. This included building on top of, underneath, on the side or back of buildings, as well as ideas such as green roofs which provide additional space to sit as well as improving insulation.
Mapledene Road, Hackney:
Judging took place in mid-November, in which an eminent jury, including Peter Bishop, Group Director of Design, Development & Environment at the London Development Agency, Michelle Ogundehin, Editor of Elle Decoration and architect Alison Brooks, selected the winning schemes within six categories: Best Use of Glass, Best Use of Concrete, Best Use of Timber, Best Use of Brick, Most Sustainable and Best Overall.
The judges unanimously selected Platform 5’s Mapledene Road scheme as ‘Overall Winner’ for its careful and beautiful detailing, use of glass to create a light and airy space and for its well thought out interplay with the existing residential building. Alison Brooks considered it to be ?just about perfect for a building of its type?.
The projects on display in the exhibition demonstrate a wide range of solutions that will provide inspiration for homeowners looking to create more space in their homes at a variety of budgets. The jury selected projects that demonstrated innovative and transferable ideas and that showed a considered choice of materials and detailing.
On Saturday 23 January, a special day of free ?Don?t Move, Improve!? public events will take place at NLA, with architect surgeries offering advice on home extensions, lectures from architects and designers, including David Littlefield, author of ?HOME: Investing in Design?, and advice on being more green and energy efficient.
And the event doesn?t stop at NLA. Many of the leading furniture retailers around Tottenham Court Road, including Molteni & C, Heals and LOMBOK, will be offering design advice, special promotions and discounts for ?Don?t Move, Improve!? visitors during the day.
Overall Winner: Mapledene Road, Hackney Platform 5 Architects
Second Place: Cross Street, Islington Paul Archer Design
Third Place: Hidden House, Camden Edgley Design
Best Use of Glass: Hunt House, Islington Paul Archer Design
Best Use of Concrete: Ruskin Park House, Lambeth AY Architects
Best Use of Timber: Private Residence Kennington, Lambeth Inglis Badrashi Loddo
Best Use of Brick: Tray House, Redbridge Hayhurst & Co
Most Sustainable: Cross Street, Islington Paul Archer Design
The Jury: Alex Batho, Editorial Business Manager, Time Out; Peter Bishop, Group Director of Design, Development & Environment, London Development Agency; Alison Brooks, Director, Alison Brooks Architects; Peter Murray, Chairman, NLA; Michelle Ogundehin, Editor-in-Chief, Elle Decoration Magazine; Tamsie Thomson, Director, RIBA London & Debbie Whitfield, Programme Director, NLA (Chair).
Winning projects ? details and jury comments
Mapledene Road, Hackney was unanimously chosen as ?Overall Winner? for its careful and beautiful detailing, use of glass to create a light and airy space and for its well thought out interplay with the existing residential building. The project involved the renovation of a Victorian terrace by introducing a layer of precise built in furniture and architectural elements into the raw historic fabric, that enabled new patterns of occupation and opened up the ground floor spaces to the garden and sky. It was considered by the judges ?just about perfect? for a building of its type.
Cross Street, Islington, described by the architects as ?a house built beneath another?, was chosen as ?Second Place? for its innovative use of space: ?a genius idea of one house under another?. The judges thought that ?the scheme proposes something quite radical and utterly transforms this building?. It was also commended as ?Most Sustainable? for its efforts to
increase the environmental credentials of the building including maximising natural light and natural ventilation, and super insulating the old house.
Hidden House, Camden is a self-contained nanny flat built underneath a garden in Camden, with a glass cube dropping down into the internal space to bring in light and air, creating a space that is private, introspective and peaceful. The project divided opinion with some concerned about setting a precedent for building on gardens but overall it was felt that the project should be awarded ?Third Place? for its original concept, innovative use of land and attractive internal spaces.
Hunt House, Islington was selected as winner for ?Best Use of Glass? for its creation of a light and airy extension and for its simple detailing. The aim was to carefully restore the house and enable the enjoyment of the original features whilst adding a contemporary layer to the building and turning it into a modern family home.
Ruskin Park House, Lambeth is a Victorian semi-detached house that has been transformed to generate a series of spaces with natural light for family entertainment and children?s play, with main design elements being cast in with structural concrete and dressed with solid oak. It was awarded ?Best Use of Concrete? for its open expression of cast concrete, which has been embraced as a main design feature in this bright and unique extension.
Private Residence Kennington, Lambeth is a sensitive conversion of a 1960s ex-local authority terrace house, transforming a housing type whose familiar modesty has become sadly underappreciated with the passing of time. Although the project did not use wood extensively, it was awarded ?Best Use of Timber? for its beautiful detailing of timber beams, which are openly expressed in the design. It was praised as ?pure, beautifully detailed? and as a transferable and aspirational project for someone working with a really low budget.
Tray House, Redbridge involved the placement of a single material insert – a black tray – into the garden. It won the ?Best Use of Brick? category for its use of brick as a strong concept for the scheme. It was considered to be ?a celebration of brick as a material?.
Don’t Move, Improve! 2016 London Competition
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