Lateral House / Pitman Tozer

Architects: Pitman Tozer
Location: Notting Hill, London, UK
Architect In Charge: Jonathan Crossley
Design Team: Luke Tozer, Tim Pitman, Jonathan Crossley, Simon Graham, Chris Browne
Area: 310 sqm
Year: 2013
Photographs: Nick Kane

Contractor: J&Z Construction
Engineer: Elliott Wood Partnership LLP
Quantity Surveyor: Andrew Ohl Associates
Landscape: Emma Griffin Garden Design

The original property has been stripped to its core and remodeled to create more generous floor plates suited to contemporary living. The design carefully stitches a contemporary three-storey extension on to the existing building and reorientates the property so that the occupants can enjoy the Southerly aspect of the house.A striking new timber clad annex in the rear garden enjoys independent access from the adjoining mews and provides surplus accommodation. The interplay between the house and the annex across the garden is an essential component of the scheme, shifting the focus to the house’s relationship to its south-facing garden.

The original house, a semi-detached villa dating from the 1850s, was extended to the side and an additional floor was added in the 1970s. Pitman Tozer replaced the original central internal stair with a new stair to the side, and added a modern outrigger extension to the garden elevation to create more generous floor plates. On the lower level and ground floor this provides open plan living accommodation whilst on the upper floors this enables flexible arrangements for bedrooms and bathrooms.The creation of terraces at different floors and on the roof level allows the family to enjoy a variety of different external spaces relating to the house and annex.

At lower ground floor level the house extends into the garden to provide an open plan family living space with floor to ceiling glazing. The roof of this extension forms a terrace from the ground floor reception room, with stairs giving access to the garden. The large glazed sliding doors to the lower ground floor and to the annex create a shared language, which forms a strong relationship between the two spaces across the stepped terraces of the garden.Clad in dark slatted timber that contrasts and complements the brickwork, the annex has been designed to extend the architectural language so there is a playful correlation between these distinct elements across the garden.

* Location to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.
Cite: “Lateral House / Pitman Tozer” 06 Jul 2013. ArchDaily. Accessed 07 Jul 2013. <http://www.archdaily.com/396364>