A striking contemporary rooftop extension to our Victorian Camden office, providing valuable additional space for our busy team.
The façade is wrapped with unique perforated metal panels – an abstract interpretation of the interior of a grand piano in reference to the building’s original function as a piano factory.
Optimisation of views, environmental considerations and interpretation of the existing building’s history were important elements in the design of the extension.
Due to recent team and workload growth, we needed additional office space. An extension to our studio in Camden was deemed the best solution.
Our existing studio is a Victorian period building which suffers from heat loss in winter and heat gain and glare in the summer. We needed a design that would minimise these effects.
The area and the building’s rich history needed to be respected and referenced in a modern, contemporary design.
Window position was key, after an assessment of good and bad views of the area we chose to focus downward on the historic courtyard to one side and upwards towards the skyline of Camden Town on the other.
Heat loss is minimised by heavy insulation, and brise-soleil reduce
solar gain and glare. Additionally, the design allows the windows to be shaded as the sun moves throughout the day, keeping the space cool on brighter days.
The extension is unashamedly contemporary in style, creating a distinctive chronology.
A glazed shadow gap on the existing gable end wall is left in its original exposed brickwork, providing a distinction between old and new. The perforated pattern on the metal façade panels is an abstraction of the interior of a grand piano, in reference to the building’s original function as a piano factory.
