Wildwood Lodge, Hampstead, London

A project of iceberg proportions, the construction of an entirely new basement beneath a Grade Two listed house in Hampstead. The volume of the basement is three times the existing house, and its construction is complex, not only because of the existing house above, but also because of the variable ground conditions, the presence of ground water, and the Northern Line underground railway.

A complex construction sequence is demanded, given the above conditions, requiring temporary and permanent load bearing bored piles, as well as a sheet piled cofferdam around the perimeter of the new basement. The new insertions require pre-loading by a series of hydraulic jacks to prevent excessive deformations occurring in the existing house.

The project will commence on site in 2010.

Architect Canaway Fleming Architects