Sunday 6 January 2008
Edgley Design Mission Statement
Our aim is to design simple, beautiful contemporary spaces and buildings that are a pleasure to occupy and which are adaptable to the needs and personalities of the people that use them, and that have a minimum impact on their environment, both in the short term of their construction, and in the long term of their aesthetic and physical impact on their surroundings and in their long term sustainability.
There is much talk about conservation of energy, which is of course a vital issue in the design of buildings, but I also feel that the material impact of buildings on their environment is an important issue. In the last 50 years we have designed buildings that are designed to resist nature, with glass and metal skins that need to be frequently cleaned to preserve their newness, and their aesthetic perfection. We have drifted from the timeless understanding of weathering, and the design of buildings which develop a patina and aesthetic through exposure to nature. This comes down to a simple concept of buildings which are part of nature, rather than an opponent to nature. In the high tech boom of the latter 20th Century we all believed that science and technology could beat nature- we have now discovered that this is all too true and we need to respect nature and work within our environment, rather than repress it.
I also believe that this can be a positive influence on architecture and design. We used to live in a world where we made economic use of natures resources in a far more sustainable way than we do today- the power of rivers ground our corn, wind powered our oceanic transport and timber grown above ground heated our houses (releasing carbon captured during the life of the tree, rather than carbon locked underground in fossil fuels). A return to these principles can reduce the cost of living, and reduce our dependence on energy supplies on a national scale, increasing personal independence.
On a material level, buildings which age beautifully need less maintenance, and are more likely to be reused and adapted, which is all too apparent with the Londoner’s love of Georgian and Victorian housing and comparative lack of emotional attachment to the decaying panellised buildings of the mid 20th century. These old terraced houses are often very basic, but their simple construction allows great flexibility and adaptation, allowing spaces to be altered or even added to modernise the buildings. The average ex council house, however, is often built in a way which makes any kind of structural alteration a dangerous impractibility, coupled with stingy space standards which reduce the basic appeal of the spaces and bad detailing with weathering details removed in an attempt to create a simplified minimal aesthetic.
If we can find modern techniques for building housing that are more responsive to these issues, then we will create buildings which last longer, and this in itself will make these buildings hugely more environmentally sustainable, as an enormous amount of energy is embodied in the construction of a building, and every time we rebuild we consume enormous resources of energy and material. This does not mean re-creating traditional buildings- modern, light filled interiors and clean exteriors have much more to offer than cramped and dark Victorian houses- it is simply a recognition that we need to adjust modern design to create buildings which have the longevity of London’s 19th and 18th century terraces.
Many of these concepts are tied to an idea of building using natural materials and simple construction techniques. Natural materials such as timber, brick and stone are more likely to weather and age, and are also more climatically responsive allowing buildings to breath naturally, avoiding the need for mechanical ventilation and air conditioning when used correctly. Indeed, these concepts are equally applicable to all building types- why, in London’s temperate (and let’s face it, often pretty chilly) climate do we construct buildings that need to be air conditioned every day of the year? It should be possible to reduce our dependence on mechanical climate control to a minimum, needed only to deal with extremes of climate. As with all these issues, there are fringe benefits in that a naturally ventilated space is far more pleasant to live in.
Another benefit to these themes is that by designing buildings that are conceived in a simple way, making the most of the space that they occupy and the materials that go into their construction, we make the most economic use of resources, and I believe exciting modern buildings can be created on modest budgets if they are carefully designed.
This leads me to a simple description of the buildings that we intend to design- simple but intelligent buildings which are a part of the natural world which they inhabit, both technically and aesthetically, which are designed to mellow with age, becoming with age objects with more patina and character than can be built new.
There is much to explore and experiment with, and many of these issues will never be resolved, rather requiring constant cycles of improvement. This, however, is the exciting challenge which faces our generation of architects and designers.
Designing Chapel Market
I acted as both developer and architect on this scheme for two new houses, so there was no client involved.
I was able to buy the site due to its many constraints and problems- there was no street access, with a right of way entrance over the adjoining neighbour’s land. The site, located behind a row of terraced houses, was surrounded by a 4m high party wall which limited the light and views available to the site, and added the need for 7 party wall agreements with neighbours. The existing workshops had been abandoned for several years and were in a derelict state, inhabited only by several hundred pigeons.
As my first new build as an independent architect, the brief was simply to create architecture of the best possible quality on an unpromising site, within the financial constraints of a successful development. It was also an opportunity to explore themes and technology to form the ethos of a new practice.
The challenge was to create a sense of light, space and privacy in a site which is surrounded by a high wall, with many overlooking windows to the north (entrance) side. The strategy was to turn the houses in on themselves, turning them away from the houses to the north and opening up to the views and light from the south. All that is visible to the visitor is a narrow timber wall and two doors at the end of a long alleyway. The height and form of the building is almost entirely defined by planning restrictions and neighbouring rights to light issues.
We pulled back the building line from the south wall, to create a series of courtyards and terraces, and to create an external elevation that allowed us to bring light and air into the enclosed lower levels of the house. This also creates a private, sequential experience as you enter the houses, with the spaces gradually unfolding first into an open living area, and then out into an internal courtyard, an intimate and private space deep within the plan of the house.
The route to the upper floor is via a tall, narrow top lit stair to rooms with views south across the backyard roofscape of the area. Full height glazed doors lead from the bedroom to a terrace overlooking the courtyard below, giving a three dimensionality to the exterior spaces.
A lightweight steel frame was chosen for speed, driven by the need to carry all the building materials on to site by hand, through a doorway and then down a 12m accessway. This was then framed in timber, with masonry cladding to the noisy north elevations, and sustainable sweet chestnut to the south to create a natural feel to the internal courtyards.
The houses are finished in luxurious natural materials- limestone and walnut- that are inviting to the touch and the barefoot resident. As you step out into the courtyard, the bare brick walls reflect the history and age of the site, a perception heightened by contrast with the modern surfaces of the new houses.
Internally, a minimal palette of luxurious natural materials- mainly walnut and limestone- were used. This palette was consciously kept to a minimum to create a sense of harmony to the spaces, while creating a series of individual elements thought the houses to create identity in the various spaces, such as giant opening walnut doors to the courtyard, that form a snug in winter behind, but open up in summer to the courtyards.
Large areas of fixed glazing to the ground floor draw the space of the courtyards through to the interior during the winter, while solid elements articulate the entrances. To the first floor, smaller windows define views out across the surrounding rooftops, reducing solar gain.
The budget constraints were very tight, to the extent that the project was delayed for a year post planning while we searched for a design and contractor that could produce a building within the budget.
We were very lucky with our choice of contractor, and once the project started on site in Jan 2006, we progressed very quickly to taking part in Open House in Sept 2006.
Many elements were designed during the construction phase in collaboration with the main contractor, who made all the windows, doors and internal joinery from scratch, mostly from solid walnut.
The basic financial strategy became to rationalise the design of the buildings as much as possible, removing any wasteful overhangs, cantilevers or other complexities from the basic shell, and minimising the number of elements required to produce the finished envelope. This approach allowed us to then retain the natural finishes and high quality components that define the experience of living in the houses.
I feel that the final result is a piece of architecture, created for not much more than the cost of building a standard London developer spec house. The cost in the process, however, has been the enormous investment of design time that this project needed- being the developer was very beneficial in allowing us to make this investment of time profitably.
As the ultimate test of a design, I am now living in one of the houses, and I expect the details of the house to evolve over time as the rational shell of the original concept is gradually personalised.
I was able to buy the site due to its many constraints and problems- there was no street access, with a right of way entrance over the adjoining neighbour’s land. The site, located behind a row of terraced houses, was surrounded by a 4m high party wall which limited the light and views available to the site, and added the need for 7 party wall agreements with neighbours. The existing workshops had been abandoned for several years and were in a derelict state, inhabited only by several hundred pigeons.
As my first new build as an independent architect, the brief was simply to create architecture of the best possible quality on an unpromising site, within the financial constraints of a successful development. It was also an opportunity to explore themes and technology to form the ethos of a new practice.
The challenge was to create a sense of light, space and privacy in a site which is surrounded by a high wall, with many overlooking windows to the north (entrance) side. The strategy was to turn the houses in on themselves, turning them away from the houses to the north and opening up to the views and light from the south. All that is visible to the visitor is a narrow timber wall and two doors at the end of a long alleyway. The height and form of the building is almost entirely defined by planning restrictions and neighbouring rights to light issues.
We pulled back the building line from the south wall, to create a series of courtyards and terraces, and to create an external elevation that allowed us to bring light and air into the enclosed lower levels of the house. This also creates a private, sequential experience as you enter the houses, with the spaces gradually unfolding first into an open living area, and then out into an internal courtyard, an intimate and private space deep within the plan of the house.
The route to the upper floor is via a tall, narrow top lit stair to rooms with views south across the backyard roofscape of the area. Full height glazed doors lead from the bedroom to a terrace overlooking the courtyard below, giving a three dimensionality to the exterior spaces.
A lightweight steel frame was chosen for speed, driven by the need to carry all the building materials on to site by hand, through a doorway and then down a 12m accessway. This was then framed in timber, with masonry cladding to the noisy north elevations, and sustainable sweet chestnut to the south to create a natural feel to the internal courtyards.
The houses are finished in luxurious natural materials- limestone and walnut- that are inviting to the touch and the barefoot resident. As you step out into the courtyard, the bare brick walls reflect the history and age of the site, a perception heightened by contrast with the modern surfaces of the new houses.
Internally, a minimal palette of luxurious natural materials- mainly walnut and limestone- were used. This palette was consciously kept to a minimum to create a sense of harmony to the spaces, while creating a series of individual elements thought the houses to create identity in the various spaces, such as giant opening walnut doors to the courtyard, that form a snug in winter behind, but open up in summer to the courtyards.
Large areas of fixed glazing to the ground floor draw the space of the courtyards through to the interior during the winter, while solid elements articulate the entrances. To the first floor, smaller windows define views out across the surrounding rooftops, reducing solar gain.
The budget constraints were very tight, to the extent that the project was delayed for a year post planning while we searched for a design and contractor that could produce a building within the budget.
We were very lucky with our choice of contractor, and once the project started on site in Jan 2006, we progressed very quickly to taking part in Open House in Sept 2006.
Many elements were designed during the construction phase in collaboration with the main contractor, who made all the windows, doors and internal joinery from scratch, mostly from solid walnut.
The basic financial strategy became to rationalise the design of the buildings as much as possible, removing any wasteful overhangs, cantilevers or other complexities from the basic shell, and minimising the number of elements required to produce the finished envelope. This approach allowed us to then retain the natural finishes and high quality components that define the experience of living in the houses.
I feel that the final result is a piece of architecture, created for not much more than the cost of building a standard London developer spec house. The cost in the process, however, has been the enormous investment of design time that this project needed- being the developer was very beneficial in allowing us to make this investment of time profitably.
As the ultimate test of a design, I am now living in one of the houses, and I expect the details of the house to evolve over time as the rational shell of the original concept is gradually personalised.
Constructing Chapel Market
Chapel Market was always going to be a tricky build. Access to the site is very limited- through an alleyway off Chapel Market itself- and it had taken quite a while to find a builder willing to take the project on! Every piece of material had to be manhandled 20m from the street into the site, and bar a lightweight digger there was no plant on site- spades and wheelbarrows for the excavation!
This access directed the basic construction strategy more than any other issue. Buildings of this type can be built using a range of off-site construction systems, such as SIPS timber panel systems or prefab modules, but these all require crane access, which was not a practical option, so in collaboration with the engineer the building was designed around a lightweight steel frame, made out of a large number of small pieces that could be carried into the site by hand. This system had the added benefit of being very light, which was less likely to unsettle the many surrounding old buildings.
The first step was to clear the existing buildings on site- three derelict workshops that had been home to a troupe of pigeons for several years.
We then underpinned the surrounding buildings- the site is bordered by a 4m high wall on all sides, and this Victorian wall had practically no foundations on three sides. The overall height of the building was very restricted by planning issues, so we needed to lower the ground floor by 450mm. Even this modest change in level involved exposing the brick corbels to the surrounding wall, so a full underpin was needed to three quarters of the boundary- quite an awesome task, particularly as all digging was by hand to avoid disturbing surrounding buildings.
Next a raft foundation was poured over the site. This foundation has no footings- it spreads the loads evenly over the entire site, and allows columns to be fitted wherever they are required.
The lightweight steel frame was then installed- this was the largest subcontract on the project which made for some complex co-ordination between designers and contractors. There was quite a long delay to the delivery, as the supplier was supposed to make a detailed survey of the site and fine- tune the steel design accordingly. When I got the first steel drawings for review I was more than slightly suspicious to see that the setting out was identical to our drawings, made from a pre-demolition survey of the site! The question was whether to force responsibility to the contractor and risk a problem, or take the huge risk of surveying ourselves- I took a deep breath and measured up the site with a disto laser- quite accurate, but not really up to this task, particularly as non of the site walls were straight.
We drew and re-drew the setting out, trying to allow for all the curves and distortions of the side walls, then ordered the steel. When it turned up on site it miraculously fitted, although it was very lucky we had designed two separate frames- these had to be angled slightly to one another to make the frames fit the site.
All things considered the steel frame came together quite easily. There was some colourful commentary on the design when it came to bringing the beams to the main ground floor span on site- these were not light weight at all, to the extent that the tyres on a little trolley the installers used exploded. Somehow the steel was manhandled into position and winched up into place, and once the cross bracing went in we had a stable structure.
From this point on the building technologies were more traditional, and more along the lines that the main contractor was used to. The entire site was lined with a basement tanking system, as many of the surrounding walls were exposed to the elements with dubious waterproofing credentials, and then the steel frame was lined with timber stud.
It’s an interesting paradox that so much timber was required to make this steel structure into a building, to the extent that I would describe the end product as a timber framed house stiffened with a steel frame. We had intended to use industrial metal stud, but the contractor felt that this would give a ‘hollow’ feel to the finished building and recommended a stiffer timber stud. Watching the spaces of the building slowly emerge as skilled Polish joiners formed every surface from timber was the most exciting phase of the project. When the first floor joists were complete, I found out to my surprise that there was a fantastic view of surrounding urban gardens from the bedrooms!
The parts of the building facing the noise and smells of Chapel Market’s restaurants and shops to the North are faced in concrete blockwork, but to the South the timber frame is exposed. Breathable membranes were wrapped around this frame, clad in coppice-cut sweet chestnut from Kent, a sustainable material cut from young trees that needs no sealant or maintenance.
The roof was finished with a cold applied liquid membrane. This is applied like a paint over a fibre mesh, giving a homogenous surface without any of the weak joints of a standard bitumen system, or the dangers of a hot melt asphalt on a timber building.
All of the exterior joinery was hand made by the contractor himself from solid Walnut. I was very lucky to have a contractor with the skills to produce this kind of work- it cut down all the co-ordination that would have been needed if the joinery was sub-contracted, and allowed the details to be designed and negotiated as the build progressed (not an advisable design strategy given the contractual risks, but it gave us a great opportunity to develop the design as the build evolved)
The contractor went on to hand build all the internal joinery, including internal doors, the kitchen from scratch, bathroom vanity units and wardrobes, to the extent that every piece of fitted furniture was created bespoke for the building.
When the buildings were finished Katherine and I decided that the opportunity to live in a home that I had designed was too great to miss, and we moved in to one of the houses. The design of the houses as first complete was purposely plain internally, to allow the inhabitants to personalise the their space. Once we had moved in, however, we decided to build in some extra joinery to make it our home.
A long two person desk now completes a study in the spare bedroom (with an extra wardrobe for long dresses- the architect rapped on the knuckles for previously overlooking the need!). The small ancillary room to the main living space has been made into a snug, with a fitted sofa, and a collage of shelving, orange lights and recesses for sculpture and objects.
Finally, a new door to the alleyway and a post rack has concluded my first new self build, and at four years since the search for a site began, it’s a welcome relief to finish! Now I’ve finally got time to look for another site….
This access directed the basic construction strategy more than any other issue. Buildings of this type can be built using a range of off-site construction systems, such as SIPS timber panel systems or prefab modules, but these all require crane access, which was not a practical option, so in collaboration with the engineer the building was designed around a lightweight steel frame, made out of a large number of small pieces that could be carried into the site by hand. This system had the added benefit of being very light, which was less likely to unsettle the many surrounding old buildings.
The first step was to clear the existing buildings on site- three derelict workshops that had been home to a troupe of pigeons for several years.
We then underpinned the surrounding buildings- the site is bordered by a 4m high wall on all sides, and this Victorian wall had practically no foundations on three sides. The overall height of the building was very restricted by planning issues, so we needed to lower the ground floor by 450mm. Even this modest change in level involved exposing the brick corbels to the surrounding wall, so a full underpin was needed to three quarters of the boundary- quite an awesome task, particularly as all digging was by hand to avoid disturbing surrounding buildings.
Next a raft foundation was poured over the site. This foundation has no footings- it spreads the loads evenly over the entire site, and allows columns to be fitted wherever they are required.
The lightweight steel frame was then installed- this was the largest subcontract on the project which made for some complex co-ordination between designers and contractors. There was quite a long delay to the delivery, as the supplier was supposed to make a detailed survey of the site and fine- tune the steel design accordingly. When I got the first steel drawings for review I was more than slightly suspicious to see that the setting out was identical to our drawings, made from a pre-demolition survey of the site! The question was whether to force responsibility to the contractor and risk a problem, or take the huge risk of surveying ourselves- I took a deep breath and measured up the site with a disto laser- quite accurate, but not really up to this task, particularly as non of the site walls were straight.
We drew and re-drew the setting out, trying to allow for all the curves and distortions of the side walls, then ordered the steel. When it turned up on site it miraculously fitted, although it was very lucky we had designed two separate frames- these had to be angled slightly to one another to make the frames fit the site.
All things considered the steel frame came together quite easily. There was some colourful commentary on the design when it came to bringing the beams to the main ground floor span on site- these were not light weight at all, to the extent that the tyres on a little trolley the installers used exploded. Somehow the steel was manhandled into position and winched up into place, and once the cross bracing went in we had a stable structure.
From this point on the building technologies were more traditional, and more along the lines that the main contractor was used to. The entire site was lined with a basement tanking system, as many of the surrounding walls were exposed to the elements with dubious waterproofing credentials, and then the steel frame was lined with timber stud.
It’s an interesting paradox that so much timber was required to make this steel structure into a building, to the extent that I would describe the end product as a timber framed house stiffened with a steel frame. We had intended to use industrial metal stud, but the contractor felt that this would give a ‘hollow’ feel to the finished building and recommended a stiffer timber stud. Watching the spaces of the building slowly emerge as skilled Polish joiners formed every surface from timber was the most exciting phase of the project. When the first floor joists were complete, I found out to my surprise that there was a fantastic view of surrounding urban gardens from the bedrooms!
The parts of the building facing the noise and smells of Chapel Market’s restaurants and shops to the North are faced in concrete blockwork, but to the South the timber frame is exposed. Breathable membranes were wrapped around this frame, clad in coppice-cut sweet chestnut from Kent, a sustainable material cut from young trees that needs no sealant or maintenance.
The roof was finished with a cold applied liquid membrane. This is applied like a paint over a fibre mesh, giving a homogenous surface without any of the weak joints of a standard bitumen system, or the dangers of a hot melt asphalt on a timber building.
All of the exterior joinery was hand made by the contractor himself from solid Walnut. I was very lucky to have a contractor with the skills to produce this kind of work- it cut down all the co-ordination that would have been needed if the joinery was sub-contracted, and allowed the details to be designed and negotiated as the build progressed (not an advisable design strategy given the contractual risks, but it gave us a great opportunity to develop the design as the build evolved)
The contractor went on to hand build all the internal joinery, including internal doors, the kitchen from scratch, bathroom vanity units and wardrobes, to the extent that every piece of fitted furniture was created bespoke for the building.
When the buildings were finished Katherine and I decided that the opportunity to live in a home that I had designed was too great to miss, and we moved in to one of the houses. The design of the houses as first complete was purposely plain internally, to allow the inhabitants to personalise the their space. Once we had moved in, however, we decided to build in some extra joinery to make it our home.
A long two person desk now completes a study in the spare bedroom (with an extra wardrobe for long dresses- the architect rapped on the knuckles for previously overlooking the need!). The small ancillary room to the main living space has been made into a snug, with a fitted sofa, and a collage of shelving, orange lights and recesses for sculpture and objects.
Finally, a new door to the alleyway and a post rack has concluded my first new self build, and at four years since the search for a site began, it’s a welcome relief to finish! Now I’ve finally got time to look for another site….
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