New House, Hampstead, London

The original site comprised a square plot with a ‘chalet’ style house in the centre, surrounded on all sides by tall brick boundary walls. Our clients’ brief was to create a new modern family house, using Mediterranean rendered and concrete finishes. They also asked that the new house maximise the available space on the site.

The Architect’s response has been to shift the new house to one side, against one of the garden walls, and to go downwards into the natural hillside, effectively hollowing out the site to create a new courtyard a storey below ground level. Garage, swimming pool, plant and storage areas take up the basement, along with the courtyard garden space. Upper ground and first floor contain the living accommodation.

Having created an extensive basement using reinforced concrete and the careful use of sheet piles and earth embankments, we proposed to use the same material for the whole of the superstructure, including the roof. Concrete flat slab construction, with a  different free form column layout on each floor, creates a house with flexible spaces and long spans, as well as giving the benefits of thermal mass. Concrete was also used to create an open staircase, and the projecting balcony using our own thermal break detail. Infill blockwork, render, and structural glazing make up the facades.

Architect Richard Webb Architects