North Berwick

The brief asked us to improve the existing internal layout and accommodation of the house and look at possibilities for extending the floor area to create practical, usable and less cramped spaces for the family. This property is located in one of the original streets of North Berwick. East Lothian. Dating circa early 19C.The property is a two storey detached red sandstone building with timber windows and decorative timber fascia details. The house forms part of a grouping of 4 detached houses. They are all built for around the same date and share the same architectural language, however there are subtle differences in detailing and roof configurations. These houses are within the North Berwick Conservation Area.

North Berwick

The house has pedestrian access from the public footpath. The ground floor is raised above the front garden and is level with the garden terrace at the rear of the house. The rear garden is south facing and secluded. The design proposal is a modest alteration to the existing rooms on the ground floor with a two-storey extension into one of the side spaces of the house. The new extension to the ground floor provides space for re locating the kitchen and offers a new utility zone. A secret step stair gives access to a loft space above the kitchen. This quite room has a large, south-facing window that offers views beyond the garden towards the Berwick Law hill. The original kitchen space is now freed up to become a playroom, and storage. A new toilet and cloakroom is created at the front of the house.

North Berwick

The character and appearance of the existing streetscape and an appreciation of the heritage within the conservation area influenced the external aesthetics of the extension. The new building is held back from the front face of the existing house, a new-pitched roof is presented to the street elevation with a scale less that is prominent than the existing street frontage gable. The new building is to be built on the boundary with the adjoining neighbour. This new boundary wall is a continuous element; it extends beyond the building to act as a retaining wall to the rear garden. The front elevation and gable wall is wrapped in a dark red coloured stone, which is in the vernacular of North Berwick. The rear elevation is clad in a vertical Scottish oak.

North Berwick

Credits

House Extension
North Berwick, Scotland.
2010-2011

Client: Private
Gross floor Area: 50m²
Architect: GMA
Structural Engineer: Bill Henderson Consultants
Contractor: N/A
Model + CGI: GMA