Levitt Bernstein places London social housing on diamond-patterned plinth

A diamond-patterned band of red bricks wraps around Plashet Road, a Passivhaus social housing project in east London by British studio Levitt Bernstein.

Located in a residential area of Upton Park, the development was designed by Levitt Berstein for the London Borough of Newham and contains 65 affordable homes as well as an on-site nursery.

Levitt Bernstein has completed Plashet Road social housing in London

Built to relieve pressure on Newham Council's housing waiting, the Plashet Road estate comprises a part four-, part five-storey scheme split into three blocks, arranged around a central courtyard.

The majority of the homes are two- and three-bed flats designed for local families, while seven of its ground-floor homes are wheelchair accessible.

The building is set back from the street and encircled by trees

The housing has been set back from the street to provide a green buffer, with a dozen mature London plane trees encircling the site. The ground-floor flats have front and rear gardens and the upper-floor flats have spacious balconies.

"We designed a courtyard development with a shared open space at its heart which optimised the number of new homes that could be provided with a communal entrance to each block creating views through to the garden," said Levitt Bernstein associate Nicola Jaques.

Ground-floor flats have front and rear gardens

The nursery occupies the southwest corner of the site. It has a private garden to the rear and a secure drop-off garden at the front, designed to allow social interaction at collection times between children and parents.

When designing the building's facade, the studio drew on local architectural styles, in particular, the nearby two-storey traditional Victorian terraces made mostly of London stock brick with decorative red elements.

The flats on the upper levels have balconies

The upper section of the housing is finished in buff brick with a two-storey band of red brick running beneath, forming a "plinth" marking out the height of the existing tree canopy and giving the facade a human scale.

This plinth is decorated with a diamond motif in a lighter brick, which is continued around the blocks and picked up in the courtyard spaces too.

"The courtyard elevations are finished using a paler brick through all levels to optimise light through the interior of the space," said Jaques. "The diamond pattern continues through and wraps into and around the courtyard, to create a subtle patterning within."

Read: Satish Jassal Architects adds red-brick social housing blocks to London estate

Levitt Bernstein designed Plashet Road to meet rigorous Passivhaus standards and achieved this by setting out a series of "rules" the development had to meet.

To achieve this, it set out its layouts, massing and design principles at an early design stage in collaboration with sustainability engineering firm Etude. The project is the studio's first Passivhaus project.

The courtyard at the heart of the estate allows for interaction

This process shifted the design from what was initially an inward-facing courtyard development to its final layout, with deck access routes to the north or east of each block and balconies and living rooms to the south and west.

This meant that the majority of balconies – which have characteristically larger window areas to living rooms – benefit from higher daylight levels and solar gain in winter months. These benefits are less critical along deck access routes, where windows are fewer and smaller.

A diamond-patterned band of red brick wraps the buildings

Other energy efficiency measures include air source heat pumps on the roofs to heat each home along with triple-glazed windows and an electric heating system in each flat.

Plashet Road was also designed to have smaller windows to minimise overheating and heat loss, but by incorporating inset brick surrounds, the design makes them appear bigger, providing a "more harmonious facade composition".

The project achieves Passivhaus standards

Plashet Road's site was formerly home to a Victorian school, later taken over by the Upton and One Love Community Centre. When the centre closed in 2014 it fell into disrepair and the building was demolished two years later.

The plot formed part of The Affordable Homes for Newham Programme, set up to deliver council-owned sites which were occupied by garages, other non-residential uses or vacant sites already scheduled for redevelopment.

Previous projects by Levitt Bernstein include the refurbishment of the Grade II-listed Bristol Beacon and a visitor centre clad in perforated metal fins.

The photography is by Kimbo Fidelo Sito.

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Maison Pour Dodo by Studio Merlin is a north London flat with a "spectrum of storage"

Studio Merlin has revamped a Stoke Newington flat for its founder, Josh Piddock, by incorporating an abundance of storage to form serene, clutter-free living spaces.

The project's nickname, Maison Pour Dodo – which loosely translates from French to "house for sleep" – was inspired by Piddock's desire for a tidy, restful home that had little material noise.

To achieve this brief, Studio Merlin decided to install a range of storage throughout the two-floor flat that could comfortably accommodate Piddock's and his girlfriend's belongings.

A tall bookshelf has been erected in the living area

"The 'spectrum of storage compression' idea was taken from previous work assessing museum collections where some objects are in dense storage and others are on display and readily accessible," explained Piddock, who founded Studio Merlin in 2020.

"We all filter and organise to some degree and the answer is more cupboards and shelves, but specifically repurposed for a domestic setting," he added.

"The real principle is of auditing one's possessions to create a hierarchy between household articles that reflect their value, favour and practical needs on a daily basis."

An opening looks through to the kitchen

One of the first rooms Studio Merlin tackled was the flat's living and dining area, where a large floor-to-ceiling shelf has been erected to hold the inhabitants' collection of books and ornaments.

At the heart of the space is a plump blue sofa by Muuto, which directly faces onto a wall where the inhabitants will project tv shows and movies. This solution was chosen instead of a television to avoid the space becoming "dominated by consumer electronics".

The room's warm, plaster-coloured surfaces and pale Douglas fir floorboards are also meant to add to the calming ambience.

The cabinetry features smoke-blue cupboards fronts from Reform

A newly created opening looks through to the kitchen, where there's a wall of deep-set IKEA cabinets with smokey blue door fronts from Danish brand Reform.

Matching low-lying cabinets run along the other side of the room, topped by a concrete counter where food can be prepared.

In the corner of the kitchen, there's also a small seating nook above which are a series of open, pantry-style shelves where the owner can display jars of cooking ingredients.

Blue paint forms a faux balustrade in the stairwell

A paint in a similar shade of blue as the kitchen cabinetry has been applied on the white walls of the apartment's stairwell to form a faux balustrade.

Stairs on the first-floor landing are fitted with what the studio describes as "in and out storage", designed to hold day-to-day essentials that inhabitants need to grab before heading out the door.

An arched cut-out leads to the cat's litter tray

The second-floor landing houses more storage cupboards, one of which has been punctuated with an arched cut-out through which Piddock's cat can access its litter tray.

There's also a small study nook for working-from-home days, complete with a desk and Douglas fir stool.

A small study nook offers a place for inhabitants to take work calls

This second level of the home accommodates the sleeping quarters. In the principal bedroom, built-in wardrobes help to neatly conceal the inhabitants' clothes.

Douglas fir offcuts have also been used by the studio to fashion custom curved bedside tables, where books and other trinkets can be tucked away.

Built-in wardrobes conceal clutter in the bedroom

Part of the original bedroom was sectioned off to allow space for a tub in the adjacent bathroom, which features terrazzo-style flooring and gold-tone hardware.

Storage has been considered here, too – above the toilet is a series of vanity cabinets that have been made to sit flush against the room's dark green walls.

"The effect is a composed space where each thing has a home; sometimes concealed, densely packed and understated, others as pride of place, carefully curated and easily physically or visually accessible," concluded Piddock.

The bathroom subtly incorporates more storage

London's trendy Stoke Newington neighbourhood is host to a number of design-focused homes.

Others include Two and a Half Storey House, which has an extension that's hidden from the street, and Gallery House, which features a huge storage wall where the owner can display his personal collection of ceramics and glassware.

Photography is byRichard Chivers.

Project credits:

Architect and interior design: Studio Merlin
Engineer: Elliott Wood
Main contractor: H Quality Construction

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Fettle designs apartment block The Gessner to resemble a private members' club

Interiors studio Fettle took cues from hospitality spaces when fitting out this contemporary residential block in London, which houses 164 apartments alongside a co-working area and an in-house cafe.

Managed by property developer Way of Life, The Gessner is set in a former pencil factory in the rapidly regenerating industrial area of Tottenham Hale.

The Gessner's lounge doubles up as a workspace for residents

Fettle created refined and cohesive interiors for the development, informed by its experience in designing hotels such as The Hoxton in Boston and Schwan Locke in Munich

"Most of our work as a company currently is hotel-based, so we have a strong understanding of what makes these kinds of spaces special," co-founder Andy Goodwin told Dezeen.

There's also a cafe inside the apartment block

"A lot of the other commercial clients we work with are aiming to achieve a very layered, somewhat residential feel to their spaces so there is a lot of overlap," he continued.

"We utilised many of the same suppliers we use within members clubs, hotels and restaurant projects."

As well as apartments, The Gessner includes guest suites for temporary visitors

After coming through the ground floor entrance of The Gessner, residents arrive at a lobby that's richly furnished with sofas, patterned armchairs and a mix of vivid artworks curated by art consultant Kate Anniss.

During the day this area serves as a communal workspace, while in the evenings it can be used as an oversized living room where residents can convene and chat.

Nearby, there's a cafe with wood-lined walls, tan leather seating and a terrazzo service counter inlaid with orange aggregate.

[

Read:

Fettle designs Schwan Locke Hotel in homage to early German modernism

](https://www.dezeen.com/2021/08/29/fettle-schwan-locke-hotel-interior/)

Furnishings and fabrics found on The Gessner's ground floor are also incorporated throughout the apartments, which are available furnished or unfurnished, as well as in a pair of guest suites located on the building's 13th floor.

These can be reserved by residents who have friends and family coming to visit, or by other travellers hoping to stay in the area.

Residents can make meals in the building's communal kitchen

The 13th floor plays host to a number of other communal facilities, which were designed to encourage socialising among residents.

This includes a large dining room and kitchen with wooden cabinetry and a greenery-filled gantry that stores pots and pans.

The kitchen adjoins a private dining room

There's also a lounge and a spacious outdoor terrace complete with sun loungers, beach-style umbrellas and a BBQ station set beneath a shady pergola, where residents can while away the warmer summer months.

"One of the key things with both hotels and apartment buildings is having some synergy between the public and private spaces, which was successful at The Gessner as they feel like a continuation of each other," Goodwin said.

Residents can also make use of The Gessner's roof terrace

Fettle was established in 2013 by Andy Goodwin and Tom Parker.

The Gessner isn't the only project to come from the studio this year. Last month, the duo finished work on The Malin, a homely co-working space in New York with loft-style interiors.

_The images are courtesy ofWay of Life. _

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Daab Design converts art dealer's vault into tranquil London basement flat

London architecture studio Daab Design has turned a former art storage vault in Marylebone, London, into a two-bedroom apartment full of Georgian period features that were restored with the help of an archaeologist.

Before the renovation began, the Grade II-listed basement flat was boarded up for decades and featured a dark, cramped interior.

"The flat had suffered from years of unsympathetic alterations – poor design decisions, neglect, cheap overlaid materials and clumsy partitioning, which distorted and confused the layout," Daab Design explained.

Daab Design restores period features such as Georgian stone courtyards (above) and fireplaces (top image)

The studio stripped back more recent additions such as vinyl flooring, peeling paint and roofing over the two courtyards to reveal the building's original features and generous proportions.

"Much of the flat was boarded up in an effort to protect the strong room, which had been used as a vault by an art dealer," said Daab Design co-founder Anais Blehaut.

"The benefit of this was that the partitions and vinyl were installed straight on top of original features and actually covered and preserved them over time. So what we thought was lost at first glance was waiting to be found."

A petrol green glass pendant lamp hangs in the bedroom

The studio rearranged the floor plan to create a clean, simple and functional layout adapted for modern living.

From the street, stairs lead down to a recovered Georgian stone courtyard that serves as the entry to the apartment while another spacious courtyard bookends the property at the back.

The vault door was moved to the guest studio

Two bedrooms are located at the front near the entrance while a bathroom and open plan living space and kitchen occupy the rear.

The kitchen nook is painted in muted blue and stands in what remains of the art dealer's concrete strong room.

It now leads to a wine cellar

"It took contractors 10 days to demolish a portion of the vault's 500-millimetre-thick concrete walls and six people to move the heavy steel door across the courtyard to its new home as the door of the wine cellar," Daab Design recalled.

This is located in a generous guest studio beyond the rear courtyard, which also features a bathroom, utility room and play area, all painted in olive green.

The firm enlisted an archaeologist and a team of structural engineers to go through an "almost surgical" process of recording, identifying and protecting the apartment's heritage features, including windows, wooden doors, architraves, York stone flooring and an original outdoor larder.

"Upgrading the floors, repairing the walls and installing new services was a complex and intricate effort in conserving the period detailing," said the studio.

Glazed terracotta tiles were used to finish the bathroom

Daab Design chose to finish the walls in various shades of green and white to offset the original York stone flooring that is revealed in sections throughout the space.

Green was also used on contemporary additions such as velvet curtains and glazed terracotta bathroom tiles to create the impression of a leafy garden reflecting green-tinged light into the flat.

Two bedrooms are located near the entrance

Blehaut, who founded the studio in 2014 alongside Dennis Austin, explained that the studio wanted to seamlessly blend the flat's restored historical features with contemporary interventions and modern technology.

These include "invisible" retrofitted services like underfloor heating, LED cove lighting, USB sockets in recessed floor boxes and flush walk-in showers that help to "reveal the simplicity of the space".

Original Georgian doors were restored

Elsewhere in London, Holland Harvey has revamped a row of heritage-listed Georgian townhouses to create a hotel with relaxed, Scandi-inspired interiors.

Photography is by Jim Stephenson.

The post Daab Design converts art dealer's vault into tranquil London basement flat appeared first on Dezeen.

#residential #all #architecture #interiors #uk #renovations #residentialconversions #adaptivereuse #londonapartments

Daab Design converts art dealer's vault into tranquil London basement flat

London architecture studio Daab Design has turned a former art storage vault in Marylebone, London, into a two-bedroom apartment full of Georgian period features that were restored with the help of an archaeologist.

Before the renovation began, the Grade II-listed basement flat was boarded up for decades and featured a dark, cramped interior.

"The flat had suffered from years of unsympathetic alterations – poor design decisions, neglect, cheap overlaid materials and clumsy partitioning, which distorted and confused the layout," Daab Design explained.

Daab Design restores period features such as Georgian stone courtyards (above) and fireplaces (top image)

The studio stripped back more recent additions such as vinyl flooring, peeling paint and roofing over the two courtyards to reveal the building's original features and generous proportions.

"Much of the flat was boarded up in an effort to protect the strong room, which had been used as a vault by an art dealer," said Daab Design co-founder Anais Blehaut.

"The benefit of this was that the partitions and vinyl were installed straight on top of original features and actually covered and preserved them over time. So what we thought was lost at first glance was waiting to be found."

A petrol green glass pendant lamp hangs in the bedroom

The studio rearranged the floor plan to create a clean, simple and functional layout adapted for modern living.

From the street, stairs lead down to a recovered Georgian stone courtyard that serves as the entry to the apartment while another spacious courtyard bookends the property at the back.

The vault door was moved to the guest studio

Two bedrooms are located at the front near the entrance while a bathroom and open plan living space and kitchen occupy the rear.

The kitchen nook is painted in muted blue and stands in what remains of the art dealer's concrete strong room.

It now leads to a wine cellar

"It took contractors 10 days to demolish a portion of the vault's 500-millimetre-thick concrete walls and six people to move the heavy steel door across the courtyard to its new home as the door of the wine cellar," Daab Design recalled.

This is located in a generous guest studio beyond the rear courtyard, which also features a bathroom, utility room and play area, all painted in olive green.

The firm enlisted an archaeologist and a team of structural engineers to go through an "almost surgical" process of recording, identifying and protecting the apartment's heritage features, including windows, wooden doors, architraves, York stone flooring and an original outdoor larder.

"Upgrading the floors, repairing the walls and installing new services was a complex and intricate effort in conserving the period detailing," said the studio.

Glazed terracotta tiles were used to finish the bathroom

Daab Design chose to finish the walls in various shades of green and white to offset the original York stone flooring that is revealed in sections throughout the space.

Green was also used on contemporary additions such as velvet curtains and glazed terracotta bathroom tiles to create the impression of a leafy garden reflecting green-tinged light into the flat.

Two bedrooms are located near the entrance

Blehaut, who founded the studio in 2014 alongside Dennis Austin, explained that the studio wanted to seamlessly blend the flat's restored historical features with contemporary interventions and modern technology.

These include "invisible" retrofitted services like underfloor heating, LED cove lighting, USB sockets in recessed floor boxes and flush walk-in showers that help to "reveal the simplicity of the space".

Original Georgian doors were restored

Elsewhere in London, Holland Harvey has revamped a row of heritage-listed Georgian townhouses to create a hotel with relaxed, Scandi-inspired interiors.

Photography is by Jim Stephenson.

The post Daab Design converts art dealer's vault into tranquil London basement flat appeared first on Dezeen.

#residential #all #architecture #interiors #uk #renovations #residentialconversions #adaptivereuse #londonapartments