An outdoor bathroom and shed were demolished for a full-width rear extension. Pivoting doors contrast with a blanket of brick comprising the house, its garden walls, and all the neighboring houses. A two-story addition is camouflaged in reclaimed brick. “We had to develop a series of floor plates at the rear of the building that aligned with adjoining properties,” says architect David Tigg, as an example of the rigors of working in a conservation area.
There are many ways to approach a home expansion and modernization, even within the confines of a conservation area or landmark district. Often the needs of existing spaces channel the outcome—the new serves, or at least demurs to, the old in color, surface, and utility.
Some of that goes on at this rebuilt West London townhouse, but maybe not so much. Architect David Tigg of Tigg Coll Architects insisted the rear extension have its own personality, which he delivered with pivoting glass doors, sharp red support beams, and a wood-burning fireplace flanked by a cantilevered concrete plinth. A step-down from the dining room furthers the extension’s independence.
“The important aspect for us was to balance the careful refurbishment of the original house,” said principal architect David Tigg, “to make sure we retain the ’soul’ of the Victorian building whilst also adding to it in an original and playful way.”
