Pigment House / Unknown Works
Textual content material description supplied by the architects. Construction comply with Unknown Works has reworked a darkish London townhouse proper right into a cohesive, associated dwelling inside a stepped and terraced panorama of Barragán-esque dusty pink pigmented surfaces.
The patrons, an ex-TV producer, and Barrister tasked Unknown Works to refocus their four-story semi-detached terrace to include an open, fluid residing home that encourages the simple flow into of movement inside and outdoors, and up and down the home. Their imaginative and prescient was to create a multi-level playground for his or her two youthful youngsters to find, and open the underside floor to a versatile home to host big gatherings and the ultimate phrase occasions.
The house sits on the slope of a steep North London hill, the place the underside beforehand bought right here up the least bit sides to fulfill it, leading to darkish and damp underground areas which were in urgent need of restore. Almost all the yard partitions and rear of the house required underpinning to create a safe development. The underside floor residing areas have been hemmed in by steep, concrete block terraces resulting in gloomy social areas devoid of any outlook.
Unknown Works first excavated the home out of the hillside, peeling and digging away layers of earlier remedial works and thick North London clay to allow light to flood the lower ranges. The steeply sloped yard was re-terraced to allow for a model new seen connection to a group of play areas for the children.
The novel transformation of the panorama throughout the dwelling impressed Unknown Works to broaden on the considered a retaining wall and use it as every a smart and inventive architectural system with a vibrant twist. Determined to create variations in tone, texture, and sort, the studio spent days on site with the contractors testing pigments and experimenting with formwork and casting methods. They arrived at a elaborate concrete retaining wall affiliation that encompasses partitions, stairs, seating, and an outdoor kitchen and barbeque. This key junction of capabilities serves as a pivot degree from the lower courtyard home to the play terraces above. The tender textural concrete formwork is contrasted by updated custom-designed balustrades of stainless-steel mesh draped over tubed stainless-steel railing.
The material palette of the home is purposely restricted and intensely elemental. The consumer’s travels in Mexico supplied inspiration for the fixed use of pinks, reminiscent of Luiz Barragan’s iconic use of color. The terraced concrete partitions and flooring have been blended with dusty pink pigments, complemented by rendered wall panels on the skin facade, and flippantly pigmented pure clay plaster partitions inside. The color scheme was chosen in order so as to add a contact of sunshine to London’s grey skies and distinction fantastically in the direction of good blue days inside the Summer season season.
Inside, Unknown Works stripped once more and refreshed the whole dwelling, delivering delicate interventions to the 4 bedrooms and three loos, with additional obvious renovations taking place on the ground diploma. A cantilevered steel staircase accomplished in matte white powder coating ties collectively the stepped terraces inside the gardens with the within exhibiting to carry from a wall of shiny white floor-to-ceiling storage.
Unknown Works made most likely essentially the most modifications on the underside floor, changing into a member of the kitchen and sitting room which have been beforehand separated in a typical Victorian format. The newly opened residing and consuming plan spans the footprint of the home, sectioned with furnishings to include an intimate lounge house nestled into the doorway of the home inside the retained Victorian bay.
The {{custom}} oak kitchen with sawn oak cabinetry is made by the consumer’s family friends in Lewes and extends alongside the rear western boundary. A giant kitchen island provides a base for the family to gather and cook dinner dinner collectively. The extended footprint of the home enjoys plentiful light by full-width glass roof extension supported by engineered glass beams, and big sliding glass doorways, further brightening the beforehand darkish areas. Purposely, each flooring has a barely fully completely different texture and tone, catching dappled afternoon daylight by the massive mimosa tree inside the yard or reflecting inside lighting at night to create a cushty family home.
The studio labored intently with the consumers in responding to the altering monetary native climate, managing uncertainty with modifications to funds and scope. Pigment House exemplifies the dedication of Unknown Works to indicate constraints into beautiful options, pairing the smart desires of a family dwelling with a playful and daring exploration of provides.
