The clients came to the Studio with the brief to extend and transform their 1950s home. Though the clients describe themselves as “polar opposites in the things we like and the way we live,” spatially they both wanted to extend the living space on the ground floor to open the house up to the garden and achieve an extra bedroom on the first floor. They are also both extremely active and regularly compete in triathlons; fuelled by lockdown, a crucial element of the design was a gym and 25m external lap pool where they could train for events from their home. The couple was divided on one key point – whether to keep the existing 20th-century house and its low-quality, piecemeal additions to the sides and rear. AR was posed with the question “What to do when a couple wants two different things; one wants to live in a traditional house and one wants to live in a contemporary dwelling?”

Ultimately the decision was made to by remove the existing low quality extensions and extend the house using a contemporary approach; from here the project was designed in detail from concept to technical specifications. A lightweight steel frame was used both at ground and first floor, forming the geometric design. Brick planes sit amongst this frame and stretch out into the garden to focus the views, while the open plan kitchen, dining, and living area flow between them. A linear grey brick is used for the solid fins, further exaggerating the horizontality of these elements. The contemporary brick gives a clear definition between old and new. The continuation of the masonry from inside to out, large format glazing, and a continuous floor finish are all used to blur the threshold between inside and out. Timber cladding and louvres are used between, contrasting the natural and man-made. An exposed steel roof profile wraps the two floors of the extension, bringing the scheme together. The site is subject to multiple TPOs, therefore an Arboricultural Impact Appraisal and Method Statement and Tree Protection Plan was completed by Technical Arboriculture, in June 2019 and the pool positioned to suit.

The clients did not have deadlines to meet, therefore the programme was flexible – this allowed the client to take the time to deeply consider and come to agreement regarding integral design decisions and invest in The Athletes House as their forever home.