Re-imagine the Georgian house with a lightwell to the front and internal stair to one side

Architects: Edgley Design
Location: London Borough of Islington, United Kingdom
Year: 2015
Area: 10.925 ft²/ 1.015 m²
Photo courtesy: Jack Hobhouse
Description:

“Godson Street is a Community Joint Venture project. The three partner groups, led by Jake Edgley (director of Edgley Design), Chris Joannou (CKS partnership) and James Engel (director of Spaced Out Architecture) were neighbours of the vacant site, and formed a JV partnership to buy and develop the scheme. The brief was to create a mixed use building which would meet the varying needs of the JV partners, expressing the individuality of stakeholders while bringing this ‘difference’ together in a harmonious overall scheme.

The overall concept was to re-imagine the Georgian houses that once occupied the site, with a lightwell to the front and internal stair to one side. A rear lightwell creates a liveable basement. Large glazed windows to the ground floor enliven a once forgotten backstreet. The layout has been inverted, with bedrooms to the lower levels where a more closed relationship to the street does not affect internal amenity.

The living spaces are moved to the upper floors, where larger windows can give light and views out without compromising privacy. The living spaces are articulated as a metal clad, sculptural form that has been folded out of the front elevation to create windows and views to the south, maintaining privacy across the street. An angled roof creates north facing rooflights to the second floor.

The faceted form of the roof is derived from a rights to light analysis of neighbouring residences. Five mixed use buildings are created, with commercial space to ground and basement and residential apartments above, and a townhouse to the north.”