Corinium Museum Opening
Designscape were appointed by the Corinium Museum in Cirencester for the alteration and refurbishment of the museum in 2014.
Project Updates!
Although these are two very different projects, both demonstrate Designscape’s approach to design. We prefer not to limit ourselves by project type, rather to bring our considerable experience to each brief afresh.
Bloomfield Avenue A modern garden room kitchen extension
Our brief in developing designs for this project was to replace a small galley kitchen, dark breakfast room, tired utility room and underused conservatory. The end result needed to be light and bright, provide a direct and open relationship between the house and garden, with enough space to function as a multi-purpose room where the family would spend much of their time together. Our proposal created a new open plan space which stretched across the back of the house containing kitchen and family room. We moved the family spaces closer to the garden and the light and utility room into the house where natural light was less important. Large areas of glazing bring high levels of natural daylight into the house. A full width sliding door and floor to ceiling window system blurs the boundary between inside and outside, bringing the garden into the house and making the garden more accessible and usable.
Cedar House A remodelled and extended home in a Conservation Area
The client had purchased a dilapidated 1950s house in a residential street in Bristol, and wanted to transform it into a modern, bright and low energy family home. After discussions about the merits of retaining all, part or none of the existing accommodation, it was decided to leave the front part of the house in tact with a new extension to the rear. The retained section was renovated and included a new slate roof, metal windows and was overclad with insulating render to improve the thermal performance. The rear of the house took on a softer character using western red cedar cladding and contained the new heart of the house; a double height dining space with direct access into the kitchen and a new staircase leading to a first floor gallery.
Sydney Buildings Modern extension of a listed house
Sydney Buildings is a desirable street on the southern slopes of central Bath. Our client purchased a run-down listed property previously used as student accommodation with the aspiration to return it back into a family home. After careful analysis of the historic value of various aspects of the building fabric, we prepared a scheme that stripped away the modern layers of inappropriate interventions, repaired original features and sensitively introduced new services to make the house fit for modern life. The highlight is the new contemporary double-height bay window in the basement that opens out into the garden providing views across the Kennet and Avon Canal to the city skyline beyond.
Monkton Farleigh Timber framed extension to Listed Cottage
The project involved the refurbishment and extension of a grade II listed cottage in the picturesque village of Monkton Farleigh (Green Belt and AONB). One of a row of two, formally three cottages, the building had been extensively remodelled and was badly in need of modernisation. Challenges included a flying freehold over the neighbouring cottage. Designscape were appointed as having the knowledge and experience best suited to the owner’s needs and objectives. The brief was to undertake a sympathetic renovation of the house, strip out modern alterations, make minor modifications to the layout, upgrade building services, and where feasible, upgrade the building fabric. The attic became a main bedroom suite and a poorly constructed C20th extension replaced with a new design built to a high standard and making the most of the garden and views across the fields beyond. The result is a series of high quality, light, airy, warm and healthy living spaces which retain and enhance much of the old character, whilst adding a new layer which will age sympathetically with the dwelling. The project stands out in achieving a successful marriage of thoughtful design, an understanding client, and some conscientious workmanship from the builder which in our experience is a rare commodity in projects of this scale and complexity.
Mount Pleasant A steel framed garden room extension
Occupying a hillside site with good views south over Bradford on Avon, this intricate project proved challenging due to the extent of structural works required to support the existing house above. Fortunate timing meant that our client was able to make use of the contractor who had recently completed a similarly challenging project at Cornbury Mill as well as sharing his desire to achieve high standards of finish.
The uncompromising design removes a lower section of bay window and replaces it with a larger, heavily glazed extension and wrap around slot window which allows natural light to penetrate deep into the house. Internal reorganisation provides much improved open plan living, dining and kitchen areas, facilitated by the installation of a fire resistant glazed screen and new timber staircase to the upper levels. The result is a light and bright multi-purpose room where the family spend much of their time together, providing a new direct and open relationship between house and garden.
Squash HouseContemporary remodelling of a family home
The existing house was developed within the walls of a former squash club in 2002. This initial conversion failed to make the most of the original building and the client’s brief was to remedy this to provide an environment to suit modern family living. The design inverts the internal accommodation to provide connected living spaces with direct access onto the private external courtyards. New glazed doors slide back into the walls making full-width openings that link the internal and external areas. Bedrooms are relocated to the upper floor behind new clerestory windows with views over Bath. A new open-tread oak staircase connects the three floors and forms the back-bone to the reinvented house.
Courtfield Contemporary extension to Grade 2 Listed House
Originally dating from the C16th, this Grade II listed House built from the local Ham stone has been modified and extended over the centuries. The brief from the client was to re-organise and upgrade the existing accommodation and carry out repairs to the historic fabric. The first phase of this work involved the relocation of the kitchen from the centre of the house into a new extension to connect it with the garden. The scale, massing and materials of the sensitive new addition respect that of the historic house yet is unmistakably contemporary in detail. The house remained occupied during the two stages of work, which also involved the repair of the listed stables and a number of environmental improvements.
WindrushContemporary Extension in the Cotswolds
This contemporary extension is located to the rear of a quintessential ‘Cotswold’ cottage in a small hamlet on the outskirts of Kemble. The brief called for additional space for the client and their four children. Incorporating the footings of a smaller extension on the same site, the new accommodation comprises a family room, wc and new entrance on the ground floor and two bedrooms and family bathroom on the first floor. A feature glass and timber staircase sits in a glazed transition space between the new extension and original cottage. Designed in accordance with the principles of the Cotswold Design Guide, the horizontal timber boarding render and metal framed windows echo the surrounding agricultural structures.