mclaren.excell revitalizes victorian london 'kew house' with faceted brick extension

with its kew house, london-based design firm mclaren.excell architects introduces a complete restructuring of a victorian house and former stable yard in richmond. the team transforms what was once a house of small, cloistered rooms into a curated series of open spaces, captured by simone bossi, that allows the house to breathe and flow. seeking to expand the interior space while maintaining a simplicity along its exterior, the project principally involves the introduction of a rear extension, comprising two chamfered volumes nestling together — realized in pale brickwork.

images © simone bossi | @simonebossiphotographer

mclaren.excell architects realizes its kew house extension to stand in sharp contrast to the rear façade of the preexisting house. proud and distinct, the pale and pitted masonry is bedded down on roughly applied and heavily brushed lime mortar. the simplicity of the exterior contradicts the complexity of the structure, with its interlocking pitched roofs and wedge shaped walls — all neatly resolved so as not to compromise the purity of form. the faceted volume is accentuated by tapered window and door reveals — their depth and shadow lend a sense of mass and permanence, as though carved out of rock.

with its faceted geometries, the interior of mclaren.excell’s kew house is expressed with a dramatic folding and interlocking ceiling-scape. the two volumes are stitched together, hybridizing the old and new elements of the house. the theme of mass and solidity continues, with in-situ concrete elements demarcating the programmatic organization and defining the backbone of the interior scheme. a concrete floor floods the space and characterizes the visual base to the concrete structural elements. views of the garden are framed through monumental openings, oriented to converge on the garden’s magnolia tree, and whose depth provides deep sills on which to sit.

project info:

project title: kew house

architecture: mclaren.excell architects

location: richmond, london, UK

photography: © simone bossi | @simonebossiphotographer