bureau de change adds interlocking geometric glass extension to victorian house in london

bureau de change architects has renovated a victorian terraced house in south london, complete with a rear extension of interlocking geometric glass volumes. titled ‘frame house’, the project comprises a series of undulating levels that create playful ledges, steps, and borders. textures, graphics, colors and finishes have been selected to emphasize the home’s theatricality, including a series of undulating levels and terrazzo surfaces in different hues define the home’s interior. that playfully clash within the building’s interior.all images by gilbert mccarragher

for the rear extension of the house, bureau de change has developed an unconventional arrangement of interconnected forms, challenging standard solutions to planning rules that determine a 45-degree angle between surrounding properties. instead, the london-based studio achieved the maximum envelope possible with purely rectilinear forms that are staggered and stepped at the boundaries. the detailing of this structure features a technically complex steel-frame construction reminiscent of a museum case.

‘these distinctly cubist glass volumes are articulated through their bold steel-frame construction, expressing each edge in a manner that creates shifting patterns of light and space, and a paradoxical sense of both levity and solidity as the volumes bear the weight of the original house,’ explains katerina dionysopoulou, co-founder of bureau de change.

the interior of ‘frame house’ echoes the rhythm of the geometric extension, with undulating levels carefully designed to curate views and delineate spaces. ‘moving down through the space from the kitchen at the front, views of the extension reveal themselves through a journey of discovery – a hallmark of our residential work,’ describes co-founder billy mavropoulos. ‘we didn’t want to reveal the whole space in one glance but foster a slow and considered use of the space that allows for surprise, intimacy and drama.’

selected materials and lighting enhance the theatricality of the interior, emphasizing the transition from the darker enclosure of the kitchen towards the brighter open spaces that lead to the garden. the shifting levels both inside and outside of the house create useful and playful ledges, steps, and borders, rendered in varying terrazzo tones that subtly identify the home’s distinct areas. dining and living feature darker tones, while lighter tones define the border where the stone meets the garden, forming a language of planters and vertical surfaces.

on the second floor, bureau de change created a new master bedroom and a guest suite that follow the same material principles as the rest of the house. a bespoke terrazzo handrail forms the spine of this material journey, linking spaces throughout the house which unfold in a sequence of visually stimulating rooms.