The original Victorian terrace facing Harbour Road; 2. A glass ‘bridge’ - atrium; 3. The new contemporary extensions at ground and first levels; 4. A patio garden framed by: 5. a garden room at the opposite end of the site. The space sequence is thought through not only horizontally but also vertically. The ground floor is open, public and noisy; the first floor is divided into rooms for guests and children. And the last top floor is a master bedroom in the newly added mansard roof – full of light and quiet at the end of destination traffic.

The “old” host building and the new volumes are connected by a conceptual glass “bridge”; this atrium brings daylight into the centre of the house while visually and physically connecting all floor levels. The configuration of the “bridge” embodies the “memory” of the old building. Being inspired by Belgian brutalism, the exposed blockwork with high recycled content delineate the whole perimeter of the site as a uniting theme and contriving an ascetic domesticity. The blockwork, the steel beams and columns, the floor and the metal deck - most of the materials have been left true and exposed.

The new additions’ façade have been clad in off-white corrugated steel sheets matching to the aluminum color of windows frames and doors. This enables the impression of lightness, subtle reflections of the sunlight, but also echoing of the white elements of the surrounding urban fabric. We were striving to achieve a seamless connection between the inside and the outside. The profiles of the sliders are minimal visually dissolving the barriers between the internal spaces and the garden. The materials and the colour palettes, and the light fixtures which were used in the exterior are the same as in the interior, enhancing the feeling that both form part of one whole.

The garden has been conceived as a patio between the rooms of the house enclosed in blockwork walls. The side walls have been treated as vertical extension of the horizontal surface of the garden, and are used for growing climbers. The bird’s houses and bug hotels are mounted on the walls to enhance biodiversity. The planting in the garden is a combination of productive and decorative landscapes where each contribute to the success of the other. The biodiverse turf with multiple wildflowers species attract pollinators which in turn pollinate vegetables and fruits.

Most of the surface of the garden has been left unpaved to allow for natural rainwater runoff.