Surrey Homes | SH31 | May 2017 |Restoration & New Build supplement inside

WT Restoration & New Build Supplement
The Conservatory
Charles Page, Architect
“Two main criteria formed the brief; firstly, the desire to
extend the house to create additional space and, secondly,
the ambition that this space should be wrapped in glass and
extend out into the garden with views to the countryside
beyond. The existing house is Grade II Listed which
added a further level of complexity to the project.
The nature of the old farmhouse, dating back to the 16th
century, helped drive the form of the new extension, its low
ceilings highlighting an opportunity for the new room to offer a
generosity not found in the older parts of the house. The design
was also inspired by the geometry of greenhouses found in walled
gardens with the strong form of their single pitch roofs. So the new
extension rises from the constraints of the existing house, linking
the kitchen with a floor to ceiling height of 2.1m and climbing in
height as it reaches into the garden to an internal height of 3.2m
at its apex. From within, not only does the space have a generous
quality, it also maximises the views to the countryside beyond.
The extension is formed of a laminated oak frame with
bolted connections, a contemporary interpretation of the oak
beams within the oldest part of the house. Fine steel frame
windows reference the casement windows on the existing
building and a brick plinth echoes that of the main house. A
patinated copper cladding completes the extension, a playful
transition from the house to the green of the garden
beyond, that will continue to weather with time.”
Project info
Architect: Charles Page 07789 741255 charlesrussellpage.co.uk
Structural Engineer: Structure Modestructuremode.com
Contractor: Marc Construction 01797 344293
Products: Windows: Crittall crittall-windows.co.uk
Copper: KME TECU kmetecuuk.com
11 wealdentimes.co.uk