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Newington Green House

Residential Development in Northeast London – design by NK Architects

5 Nov 2015

Infill Building in London

Architects: NK Architects

Location: Newington Green, London, UK

76A Newington Green Road is an infill building between 2 period terraces in North London. It is a four storey, timber frame building, designed to maximise a narrow footprint and allow natural daylight to flow through the house.

image : Robin Hayes

Sustainability is at the core of the design, with high levels of insulation, careful orientation of windows and an air source heat pump. The constraints of the site meant that the design had to be carefully configured to maximise every spare millimetre. The span between the neighbouring properties is 4.8m and the site forms a triangular footprint – originally in the demise of 76 Newington Green Road. This was the original home for the now current owners and was commissioned by them after they bought the house and site from their housing association landlords.

The design bridges the gap between the neighbouring terraces. Its stepped form unites the building line along the street creating a continuous and cohesive frontage. The main entrance is provides access to an entrance hall and staircase at the rear of the site. A double height space connects the ground and first floor – linking the living and kitchen areas with a mezzanine overlooking the dining area.

The stair provides access to each of the 4 levels – the living area is on the first floor, the kids bedroom and main bathroom on the 2nd floor and the master bedroom and a small study area on the 3rd floor. Daylight streams in from a double height slot window in the rear elevation to the landing levels.

The main concern was to create useable spaces that would maximise the 4.8m wide site. Storage space has been integrated into the structure and the generous ceiling heights used for overhead lockers and cupboards.

The external render of the building matches the dark blue / grey hue of the iron deposits found in the local brickwork. The openings have been carefully aligned on the front elevation to reference the window heads, cornice and parapets of the neighbouring Georgian terrace. At the second and third floor, an inset timber infill panel wraps around the corner. This panelling comprises a sections of reclaimed larch, cut at an angle to accentuate the corner profile of the building. The timber sections are infilled with aluminium cladding matching the colour of the Number 73 bus.