Two moves unlock the potential of a residential property
East Midlands RIBA Regional Award 2019
James Boon Architects and GRT Architecture for James Boon
Contract value: £150,000
GIA: 100m²
Cost per m²: £1500
The architect challenged a conventional consent for this modest courtyard site, re-planning it with a central stair, reducing circulation and flipping living areas to the upper floor and bedrooms to lower. These two moves unlock the potential of the property. Kitchen, dining and living room now occupy a double height space, the living room focused around the fireplace at the heart of the home. A bold, steel truss separates this from the dining area and kitchen beyond. Natural stone and timber cladding visually connect the house to its context. It does not fill the whole site, respecting its neighbours with a granite sett pathway and a cut back for a small vision splay. These touches not only add aesthetic interest but show genuine consideration for fellow villagers.