Thin House
Program | HOUSING |
Scale | 90 sqm |
Location | Single Family Dwelling 25A Danbury St. Islington London, N1 8LE |
Stage | Design |
Client | Harvey Jones Properties |
Budget | € 200000 |
Design Year | 2013 |
This proposal for infill housing just 3m wide is situated in an Islington Conservation area and enhances the existing streetscape by completing the terrace. In doing so, the proposal embraces local conservation area guidelines that "new buildings should conform to the height, scale and proportions of existing buildings in the immediate area." Furthermore guidelines state that "there are several small sites and poorly designed buildings where development might benefit the area. Some of these are gaps in an existing terrace." The proportion and location of the proposed fenestration conforms to the prevailing pattern of fenestration with window size and placement in direct alignment. Nothing new there you might think.
The enhancement of streetscape as a Conservation ideology has resulted in façadism. The house designed entirely around its street appeal. Such superficiality has been positively embraced with the this proposal: the façade from shuttered concrete will include monolithic castings of historic details. Think Tadao Ando with a cast decorative frieze. Affixed to this contemporary-history façade treatment a series of hanging planters associated with ‘Olde England’ pub culture will be added as an affirmation of the client’s green fingers...