Hackney House

This project comprises a single-storey rear and side extension to a mid-terrace Victorian house in a Hackney conservation area, east London.

The rear extension brickwork comes from the desire to break down the massing and not intrude significantly on the garden. The clients used their garden frequently for relaxing, entertaining and gardening, and enjoyed its courtyard-like quality, shielded by a gable wall of the adjacent street terrace.

The basket weave pattern achieves this by being partially open, revealing a searing yellow layer as you get closer. At certain times of day, the intense south sunlight hits this yellow, animating the façade with shadows. Its contemporary design aims to be a playful, wry nod to follies or grottoes found in English Romantic gardens. In short, the extension is just as much an extension of the rear garden as it is of the main house.