Cloister Corner

A slender clerestory wing running along one side of the garden creating 2 new bedrooms and study for this small but loved ground floor flat in Stockwell. The new addition is considerate of residential neighbours while also creating a built buffer with neighbouring commercial units providing privacy for the family.

Every room has a relationship with the garden or access to natural light. The new kitchen, dining and hallway are conceived as hard surfaces that sit within the landscape, and materials are carried through from inside to out. Internal rooms along the southern edge are softer and infused with light through clerestory windows.

The rooms in this new wing are necessarily narrow, and accordingly their height is exploited using vaulted ceilings and high level openings. Beyond the 2 new kids’ bedrooms is a study that fully fronts on to the garden providing a peaceful and meditative view.

The garden is to be experienced immersively with clever planting that will provide visual interest and colour all year round. The design takes cues from Japanese concepts of space; borrowing landscape and occupying the edge.