Sylvan Glade , Keston Park, London - Grand Designs

First aired on Grand Designs 21st September 2011 at 9pm; the episode was a fascinating insight into the project. Taking you through the demolition of Paul and Penny Denby's 1940's home where they had lived for 19 years, through the complications of planning, right up to the completion of this stunning and serene family home.

The brief to James Engel of Spaced Out Architecture Studios for Paul and Penny's new home focused on inspiration from the transcendental feeling created by the light and space of a woodland clearing. Sylvan Glade is a fluid plan of curves linking open and cellular spaces. The glazed facades emphasise the dynamic relationship with the landscape. The project team facilitated the Denby's wishes to select all their materials and suppliers themselves and their desire to explore new innovative products. The most impressive example of how the project team of James Engel (Design Architect), James Smithers (Projects Contractor) and Vanessa Tarrier (Glass Technology Specialist) worked seamlessly together with Paul and Penny was in the use of Heat Mirror Technology within all the glazed facades.

Sylvan Glade is the first home in the UK to use Heat Mirror Technology on a large scale. This innovative new material allows users to experience all the health and well-being benefits of natural light, whilst minimising heat loss through the glass. The glazing system also prevents the house from overheating in the summer months.

Unusually for a new building that takes risks, throughout construction the whole project team worked harmoniously to allow the design to realise it's full potential - and to deliver to a fixed budget without compromise on the specification of efficient technology.

After initial scepticism from the planning department and the neighbourhood, Sylvan Glade has only admirers, with many positive enquiries for similar projects.

The combination of vision and experience required to design, detail and construct this successful project now means that others have the opportunity to engage with this bespoke collaboration. Through their respective companies; Spaced Out Architecture Studio, Modillion Homes and Cantifix; James, James and Vanessa are set to deliver other luxury projects in the UK and Overseas. (see contact details below)

Check out the Grand Designs episode online at: http://www.channel4.com/programmes/grand-designs/4od for the making of Sylvan Glade! (episode 31 series 7)

Key Facts:
Name: Sylvan Glade - Private Residence
Commissioned by: Paul and Penny Denby
Architect: James Engel - RIBA of Spaced Out Architecture Studio
Main Contractor: James Smithers of Modillion Homes
Glazing Specialist Contractor: Vanessa Tarrier of Cantifix Ltd
Completed: April 2011
Gross Internal Floor Area 343 sq.m ( 3700 sq. ft)
5 Bedrooms plus 1 additional bedroom in the self contained first floor
wing.

Note to Editors: For additional information, images, interviews or sales
enquiries, please use the contact details below.

Architecture - James Engel of SOAS
www.spacedout.co.uk
james@spacedout.co.uk
tel 020 7833 9236

Construction - James Smithers of Modillion Homes.
james@modillionhomes.com
tel 01483 541233

Glazing Technology - Vanessa Tarrier of Cantifix Ltd.
vanessa@cantifix.co.uk tel 020 8203 6203






see also Andie's Blog at
http://andie-scott.blogspot.com

Spaced Out Architecture Studio Blog

RIBA Chartered Architects led by James Engel, Spaced Out aspire to provide exemplary ideas and solutions that will survive all elements of resistance.

Our aim is to create enjoyable, practical and uplifting architecture.

Spaced Out Architecture Studio,
Long House,
46 Penton Street,
Islington,
London N1 9QA

tel: +44(0)20 7833 9236
e-mail: info@spacedout.co.uk

web: www.spacedout.co.uk

Spaced Out Architecture Studio is a trading name of Spaced Out Limited
Co.Reg. No. 336685 Members of RIBA and ACID

The Peace Pentagon Competition, New York

339 Lafayette Street,
New York

The design centres around communicating the message of peace and justice within the community. By encouraging visitors to the Peace Pentagon to sign the peace register or relax in the roof top garden we wish to help mobilize the peace movement.

The Peace Register cabin, perched on the lip of the canyon on the side of the building invites visitors to add their thoughts to the register, whose entries will be projected onto the rear wall.

Interactive digital texts and the Dusk-to-Dawn banners (currently illustrated with ‘Peace’ by Luba Lukova) create both a permanent and ever changing display on the street elevations.

The cost of creating this state-of-the-art environmentally sustainable building is projected as being less than 0.063 percent of New York City’s financial commitment to the current Iraq and
Afghanistan wars.

Design and model by Spaced Out, rendering by Clustaspace, banner artwork courtesy of Luba Lukova

Conceptual Design development with Bob Baldwin of Doris Inc.

Nomadic Garden, London

Godson Street, 

Islington

Whilst our director, James Engel, working with Jake Edgerly, are working up a sensitive design for the redevelopment of 1-7 Godson Street, the land has been turned into a sustainable Nomadic Garden by Andie Scott and the students of New River College.  

The site which has been used for the odd market trollies for the last 15+ years and filled with rubbish was purchased collectively by 7 local people to develop into workshops, apartments and housing to help regenerate the chapel market area. These local people have loaned the land to the garden until next year, free of charge.   Since April, over 20 local community volunteers have helped clear the derelict site and get the project up and running.

The garden is in it’s early days but the students have been engaging in making fantastic mural boards for it of an exceptionally high standard.  They are successionally sowing leaf vegetables and herbs to sell to Moro’s restaurant in Exmouth Market who are helping the garden work towards being sustainable.  The project is also starting to recycle local food waste from restaurants and cafes to turn into compost to sell. 

The garden is on wheels so that each year it moves to a new location which is waiting for redevelopment. The idea is that the nomadic garden really is nomadic. Students that become interested in horticulture when they leave college will be assisted with practical training courses and grant funding.

Mayor Mouna Hamitouche came to open the project for the KS4 students and the local community on 18th July.  The day proved to be a fun filled with information, games and gardening for volunteers.  More local residents are becoming involved in the Nomadic Garden and cafes are able to recycle their vegetable waste in the composting system and wormery that has been set up. The development of the site is very important to the regeneration of Chapel Market and Spaced Out are actively involved in seeing the transition sensitively achieved.

Green Hub in Tottenham

A energetic, enthusiastic member of our studio, Abigail Stevenson, a recent graduate of CAT (Centre of Alternative Technology), has been busy, outside of Spaced Out, working at The Selby Centre in Tottenham.  Here, she writes about the pioneering ‘Energy Lab’ project and her ongoing involvement with the Tottenham community.  

by Abigail Stevenson

After finishing the Professional Diploma course where I focused on alternative development strategies, I began to put my work to use locally in Tottenham, North London. During a meeting to organize a skill share I discovered a wood recycling scheme called Wood Works Wonders had recently been set up at the Selby Centre (www.selbytrust.co.uk). I later visited the site and found myself at a vibrant community centre that really does live up to its slogan 'many cultures one community'.

I began to work with the Selby Centre to realise its goal as becoming a green hub, by reducing its energy consumption, retrofitting the building and creating a forum for environmental education. Taking the lead from the reuse and recycling philosophy seeded by Wood Works Wonders we are beginning to develop a pilot programme that will take waste generated by the centre and format it into materials that can be used to retrofit the building.

The pilot programme 'Energy Lab' will take a thorough and scientific approach, testing the materials for thermal mass and insulating properties as well as assessing their performance. This is an exciting practical research opportunity, and any willing minds thoughts and comments are most welcome, contact selbywoodworks@aol.com.

http://www.tottenham-today.co.uk/tn/news.cfm?id=24755

Photography by Tim Jones Photography

Britton Street, London

Britton Street,
Clerkenwell


This design for a family home and basement studio, to be built from lightweight prefabricated CLT panels, will create a ‘Hidden gem’ in a tight and densely populated site. Surrounded by 4-6 storey buildings the design adds to the artisan community thriving within the historic urban fabric of Clerkenwell, central London.

The massing of this contemporary design solution, which sits between two party walls, has been formed by the need to maximise light penetration, to a site effectively in shadow 85% of the year. Indeed, the design has required careful balancing, in order to maintain privacy for its residents whilst minimising the loss of daylight to the surrounding neighbours.

(Design by Spaced Out, rendering and movie courtesy of Clustaspace)

Out Of Sight, London

Westbourne Road ,
London N7 8AB

Located in Islington, overlooking Paradise Park, this double-pitched mansard roof extension provides a much needed extra storey to an otherwise cramped maisonette. The design solution is an innovative form and structure that does not interfere with the existing terrace features.
Titled "Out of Sight", the composition has made no visual impact / modification to the street scene along Westbourne Road. This was achieved by setting the facade behind the existing front parapet, providing a much needed outside space.

The construction sequence was tuned to enable the family to continue living in the rooms below during the construction period.

The result is that a growing family are now able to stay within their local community with the benefit of more suitable spaces. We believe this is a perfect solution to the growing pains of Families that find themselves otherwise trapped by spatial and planning constraints. Forced to move from sensitive inner city areas to the suburbs.

From the new roof terrace and with glimpses from Paradise Park, the eye-catching roof covering with it’s faceted form is a stunning addition the Terrace. Spaced Out specified this high reflective stainless steel for a specific signature to the building. Playing with this visual effect, its reflective qualities causes a virtual illusion merging the architecture with the sky. Perfect for ‘Out of Sight’.

Shortlisted for AJ Small Projects 2010

http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/small-projects/

King's Cross Gasholder Competition, London

King's Cross,
London
Our proposal was for the main frame of gas holder no 8, to be raised on a giant hand, a heroic gesture to celebrate it’s beauty and magnificence.

In raising the frame from its base, our design creates an amorphic, user friendly new landscape. A place for simple and great events, for culture, art, fashion catwalks, speeches, recitals, performances and much much more......”race you to the little finger” will be heard many times a day.

This extraordinarily refined and purposeful historic structure is reinvented by the armature that supports it. A unique vision for London and King’s Cross, at Britain's gateway to Europe, an overture to a surprising city, a city where anything can happen.

(Conceptual Design development with Bob Baldwin of Doris Inc.)

(Design and model by Spaced Out, rendering courtesy of Clustaspace)

Weave House, London

17-19 Shacklewell Lane,
Dalston

Dalston is a rapidly evolving central urban suburb. The Site is flanked by studio workshops , a halel superstore and a mosque, formally a synagogue. The area has a dynamic mixture that makes up this special community. Currently the dominant immigrants being from the Caribbean, Africa and Turkey. The area has dramatically transformed since the Jewish Community started to move-on in the early 1970’s. Dalston is soon to be connected to the City by a new Monorail. Travel times to the Stock Exchange will be reduced from 35mins to 12 mins . This area is likely to change once again. The design responds to the shifting qualities of the area with a South Street elevation that has a range of coloured sliding screens that merge and diverge on a regular basis.

Penderyn Whisky Distillery Visitor Centre, Wales

Penderyn,
Brecon National Park

Officially opened in June 2008 by HRH The Prince of Wales, the £850,000 visitor centre for Penderyn Whisky has experienced a steady stream of visitors wishing to visit one of the very few independently owned distillerries in the UK.

The centre is housed in one of the site’s existing buildings, which has been reclad in black stained, whaney edged, sawn oak panels, giving it a unique presence in the landscape. In line with the whisky itself, the visitor centre is deliberately understated and expresses a beautiful handcrafted quality.

The centre offers views into the still, bottling area and cooperage store, whilst using barrels to act as space dividers, which guide visitors from the double height entrance lobby to a tasting bar made of black slate with a glass inlay.

Winner of 2009 RIBA Award

(David Archer Architects with Spaced Out Architecture Studio)

Aaya Restaurant, London

66-70 Brewer Street
Soho


Lighting was the key to the design for this japanese restaurant, which occupies the ground and basement levels of a building in brewer street. The design explores the vast spectrum of design visible in modern japan, from kyoto’s traditional temples to the upmarket retail stores of Tokyo.

The scheme uses patterned and diffuse light fused with traditional Japanese material and space manipulation to create a SOMETHING SPACE.
A 10 metre long sushi counter provides a focal point of the basement level, where raw fish are prepared and displayed under glass and lit from concealed lighting points.

(David Archer Architects with James Engel of Spaced Out and Jonathan Coles Lighting)

New Eco-Tourism Estate, Collaton St. Mary, Devon

Collaton St. Mary, Devon

Close to the beautiful and holistic inland transition town of Totnes in South Devon and with views to the ocean over Collaton St. Mary in the Torbay. This new Eco-Tourism Estate will consist of a Farmstead Complex, Lodges, family Linhay, a Health Spa, a Market Garden providing produce for the Estate, Outdoor Tennis Courts with support facilities, Indoor Sports Hall, Staff Accommodation, 2 Management Residences, Livery only Stables, Extended Cycle Route, Wetland Wildlife Area, Major Landscape and Habitat enhancement, Managed Woodland, Sculpture Trail in new Woodland, Ancillary Buildings & Infrastructure.

All the Architecture, including over 60 Lodges will be carbon neutral. Materials, whenever possible will be locally sourced.  

Planning Approval has been granted by Torbay Council for Phase 1 and Phase 2 has been approved by the Planning Committee ( awaiting sign-off by the Executive)

(Design and model by spaced out architecture studio, rendering courtesy of Clustaspace)

Carlton road, London

Ealing,
London

The Carlton Road project presented Spaced Out with a special challenge. Designing a home for a couple who each have their own design business. It was also a classic case of neatly slotting the new into the old.

As found, the property was a dark Victorian Villa, filled with the remnants of its previous occupants, the inventors of the heated flying suit, later to become the Milliwatt Heated bed blanket.

For over 50 years the house had been used by the same family as home, research labs, sample rooms and storage. It was also partially converted into two separate units with separate entrances and interconnecting staircases. Its original plan was barely recognisable.

Now totally transformed by Spaced Out, the Victorian outer shell has been carefully restored, with subtle modifications, whilst the interior is a contemporary machine for living. Transformed by a fresh new scheme which has encouraged the penetration of daylight and air throughout the entire interior. Unlike the Victorian plan, the new layout allows for spaces to flow together, including a dramatic new double tiered terrace linking the main rooms on the ground floor seamlessly into the garden.

Sonia Rykiel, London

London

The Brook Street Project is a flagship boutique and also Sonia Rykiel's first in London.

The brief for the project was to evolve the core design features previously employed in Sonia Rykiel's other boutiques, whilst at the same time maintaining the key signature materials such as European Oak, black carpet and white walls.

Spaced Out advanced the design by introducing modern technology combined with the Rykiel signature materials. The new design employed LED lighting, UV bonded glass, plasma screens, backlit acid etched glass and brushed stainless steel. Spaced Out also modernised the Sonia Rykiel shop-fit furniture by giving it a sense of weightlessness. The shop came with a Grade II listed frontage, which had to remain predominantly unchanged. With the careful handling of colour, lighting and new signage, the shop front has been enhanced, providing the desired European Chic aesthetic more commonly associated with Paris or Milan. Spaced Out designed a contemporary elevation, providing a secondary, off street entrance at the back of the Boutique, which is private, intimate and luxurious.

Thatched house, London

Leyton,
East London

Thatched House is a new build residential development in Leyton, located on a former car park site next to a public house that has been on the site since the 17th Century. Two barns collide and capture three interlocking townhouses and three apartments. The Thatched House Pub is a local Landmark. An institution, known for its specific culture rather than its Architecture.

The key focus of the Planners was to minimise the impact of the new building on the Pub. Spaced Out has designed two volumes, two offset pitched roof barns which subtly respond to the dominant double pitched rear elevation of the Public House. The new volumes continue rather than break with the existing landmark, aligning the roof pitch, ridge and eaves levels. Within the two main volumes you find six private units, woven together with a variety of access points and plans arranged over stepped sections. All the units have been designed to provide spatial diversity which we believe enhances individuality. The space occupied by the staircase is the resultant space from the merging of the two volumes. This space has a dramatic resultant geometry, reinforced by only having a skylight slot.