This project involves the complete refurbishment and extension of a detached 1960’s house in Cheltenham. In plan, the staggered shaped house means that the house is much larger at the rear than the front, with the appearance of a modest house at the front while the end of the garden extends the width of terraced plots.

Lewis Critchley Architects sought to maximise the potential of the house by creating extensive new additions at the rear, opening up the house to the garden through modern open plan spaces while retaining the formal reception rooms and more traditional features to the front.

The heart of the house, the kitchen and informal living spaces overlook the garden which is accessed by a stepped terrace.

“Understated, light and space” was the brief by the client. We developed the design to be minimal in nature with vast expanses of glass capturing the views to the garden and framing moments of nature around the site. Raw, hard wearing materials are key in the design, with brick and timber being expressed externally.

The design of the house creates varied pockets of external space at ground level to offer shelter from the sun and shelter from wind and rain during the ever changing weather. There are several balconies at first floor level which again offer sheltered seating, along with a roof terrace.  The roof terrace is surrounded by planted beds, a wildflower and shingle roof and an outdoor fireplace. The landscaping was an essential aspect to the project to bed the property into its unique surroundings and to create a gentle transition from the garden, up onto the patio and through to the house

Designed within a Conservation Area, this house plays with materiality and form by expressing the architectural elements with earthy tones and areas of glass allowing carefully considered and controlled views into and out of the house.

The rich pallet of materials include: Brick, zinc, porcelain tiles, aluminium, glass and timber. LCA will often focus on fewer materials within one building however these materials work together to create a consistent earthy tonal range connecting the building to the informal gardens and landscaped areas