Barretts Grove | Groupwork

Barretts Grove is located in Stoke Newington and accommodates two 3 bedroom family maisonettes, three 2 bedroom four person flats and a single person studio. Set within a conservation it stands between a tall Victorian buff coloured semidetached townhouse and an Edwardian redbrick primary school. Its form echoes the slender gables of the school and standalone presence of the neighbouring ‘villa’ architype. Retaining a simplistic profile partly generated through consultation with primary school pupils, their understanding of house and home and knowledge of building technology pitfalls; namely should we use straw, wood or brick? Why not all three?

Cross laminated timber (CLT) is used for all wall, floor and roof superstructure and sat on a concrete and brick basement box. Internally the CLT is left exposed and finished with a clear fire retardant varnish. Insulation, a vapour barrier and self-supporting brick rain-screen make up the exterior thermal and protective envelope. Acoustic resilient layers and boards, insulation and a floating timber floor are built-up above the floor superstructure and accommodate underfloor heating, power, data and hot/cold water services. The ability of material and structure to serve a number of purposes combined to remove the need for plasterboarded walls, suspended ceilings, cornices, skirtings and finishes such as tiling and paint. While simplifying the architectonic form and allowing the exposed structure’s inherent material qualities to drive a warmer and perhaps better connected tactile aesthetic, this strategy reduces the embodied carbon of the building, its construction cost and time on site.