Lodge extension- Surbiton

The brief for the project was to provide a contemporary, exciting design that connects the house to the stunning formal garden. A key priority for the owners was to provide light to the space and a sense of space. The site is challenging with restrictions from the planning department not normally allowing front extension to locally listed buildings.

The design developed over a year, initially exploring a two-storey extension to the side with a double height glass box to the rear overlooking a private courtyard. This design brought light into the kitchen and dining area from the west and provided a focal point to the internal formal hallway to the existing house. The courtyard utilised the narrow side plot of the plan and allowed light into the adjacent spaces.

A further design was explored for a single-storey scheme. This design has a front extension - a contemporary 'garden room' which looks onto the garden. The garden room is accessed via a glass link, which visually separates it from the existing building mass. To the side of the house are two pitched forms, each with glass gable ends allowing light in from the east and west to light up the dining room. The separation of the different forms was crucial to make the extension look subordinate to the existing house.

Key to communicating the design to the owners and the planning officers was to sketch and make models. The images here illustrate some of the designs that were explored during the concept design stage of the project.