Friday 27 May 2016

North End Road







The brief from our client was to design an extension to a garden flat and first floor flat in a semi-detached property near Golders Green, London, NW11. With the second floor of the property being occupied by another party, a full planning  application was required for the proposal as permitted development rights were not enjoyed; this resulted in tighter design constraints being enforced by the local planning authority. It was these constraints which informed the massing of the two extensions, with the ground floor angling away from the neighbouring properties so as not to infringe upon their light and amenity. A more severe angle was also cut into the first floor apartment, again to ensure there was no loss of light into the neighbouring property. This increasing angled motif ties the new intervention back to the top floor of the property, which retained the original 45 degree cutout. The cascading form of the finished building was informed by the planning regulations stating that a first floor apartment extension could not be as deep as that on the first floor.

The idea of a stepped form was carried through into the pitch of each roof, the garden flat is topped with a contemporary flat roof while the first floor roof is pitched, and the original roof pitch steeper still. The natural topography of the site allowed for a generous height to the internal volume of the ground floor, and the pitched roof was angled in such a way to deliver a more generous head height at first floor. While the form of the extensions was governed by permitted development rights, this also helped merge the contemporary ground floor into the traditional existing top floor form giving these resulting dynamic stepped extensions.

Tuesday 24 May 2016

Kanada Ya, Panton Street






In the heart of London’s West End close to Piccadilly Circus, at 3 Panton Street, this once dated basement and ground floor french restaurant has been transformed into a unique Japanese ramen restaurant. The transformation is the second Kanada-Ya restaurant in London. Two others are overseas, one in Japan and one on Hong Kong Island. The client brief was to develop themes from their original London restaurant in St Giles, by Haruhito Tomi with Spaced Out to cement the Kanada – Ya brand in London.

As found the space was dark and in need of complete renovation. This provided many design and detail challenges. The result of Spaced Out’s close collaboration with the clients incorporates a skyscape of round ceiling mirrors set at angles to reveal interesting pockets of extended vision for the customers. This feature alone makes the most of the details within the space. High level clerestory mirrors widen and extend the basement space, positioned strategically under the traditional london pavement lenses. The use of round pendant lights, in a variety of sizes and textures, interspersed with the skyscape adds to the dynamics of the space. Reflections of the furniture, occupants and the lighting provides a buzz to the whole composition.
 

The Kanada-Ya brand logo, featuring Mr Kanada-Ya provided the inspiration for the colour pallet, predominantly using black, white and flashes of red as the ‘secret colour’. The original structural brickwork of the space has been beautifully sandblasted and cleaned and combined with natural Douglas Fir timber furniture, injects a natural feel into the more formal colour pallet. The final materials palette creates a comfortable composition. The use of cross laminated douglas fir, by Tilly, is used to form, stools, benches and the round booths. Composed of 3 solid layers of douglas fir, this material has a very graphical as well as natural weave to its cut faces. This is expressed on the furniture as well as the vertically banded screen to the staircase. The douglas fir wood has been treated with a white hard wax oil to provide a silk like finish and added durability.

All the furniture and fittings are designed by Spaced Out and fabricated by an Artist / Maker, the Bamber Brothers of Hackney. The leg profile of the stools reflects the profile of the booth backs , a typical inflection often found in Japanese and other oriental furniture. Whereas, back to back, the booths create an elegant diamond graphic, filled with a flash of the secret colour, red. The variability of form found in chop sticks inspired the staircase screen. Note that each element is paired and that lengths and thicknesses vary based on our research. These quiet but effective references add to the authenticity of the final design language nurtured by Spaced Out.


Friday 20 May 2016

Drayton Park School, London

Art Studio and Community Space at Drayton Park Primary School







This new Art Studio and Community Space at Drayton Park Primary School provides an inclusive facility for parents, pupils and the wider community.  This proposal provides new teaching spaces, pre and after school facilities, a flexible Community room and new play spaces. The design offers flexibility of use for cross disciplinary knowledge exchange and skills development for all the children of the School. The provision of the Community Room offers parallel activities that can be independently scheduled or integral to the School agenda.

The design seeks to resolve the needs of the School and the wider Community with a building that both visually and spatial represents it’s purpose. The design philosophy includes stages of distillation. Taking care to collate all views raised during the early consultation phases and the more formal design presentations. The Head Teacher and the School Governors have worked tirelessly to open-up ‘best’ channels of communication with the School and the local Community. With resounding success this process has reinforced the concept designs and focused the creation of the scheme that is now being constructed on site.

The art studio in part cantilevers over the playground to minimise any loss of playground space. This creates a covered play area and a place for safe play on and adjacent to the lifeboat. The roof form of the art room is derived from attaining the best possible natural ‘flat’ northern light. This helps to minimises energy usage. The symbolic use of a traditional pitched roof house, so often used by children to represent a home, defines the Community Room. The weatherboard cladding links the Architecture to boat houses and the almost entirely lost grain of pre-georgian London.

The requirement for flexibile of use patterns penetrated not only the layout but also the in-use management of the building. As a result the building is independantly heated and secured without compromise to the existing school facilities. It's location as an annex to the main school buildings is purposeful. Access is gained from the playground and/or directly from Arvon Road.

The Lifeboat,  the William Henry & Mary King has become the School's brand symbol since it's arrival after retirement from Bridlington over 20 years ago. To make way for the new building the lifeboats location and support structure  needed to be changed. As a result of workshops with the pupils, staff and parents a decision to lower the boat into a pocket within the playground was approved by the Govenors. It's location close to the new building and related to a covered external area under the Art Studio is a roaring success.