Arch House | Polysmiths

In the leafy East London suburb of Wanstead, a typical terraced house has been given a new lease of life by Polysmiths. Captured by the owners’ British and Gibraltar roots, Polysmiths employed various architectural and material design strategies that refine open-plan living, using structural arches to create a series of interconnected spaces for flexible live/work - all achieved within a tight budget and time frame.

The result is a low-waste, sustainable renovation that balances the buzz of modern London life with textures and warmth of the Mediterranean, with the owners saying they feel they are ‘on holiday every day’.

The Client’s Brief

Architectural studio Polysmiths was commissioned by the owners, a young professional couple with British and Gibraltar roots, to extend and renovate their large three-bedroom house in Wanstead that has not been upgraded since the 1980s. The vision is for the house to function well for living, working, quiet recuperation, dinner parties, as well as a Mediterranean garden as an outdoor Living room.

Typical of a London terraced house, the existing house had a dark corridor that connects a series of rooms to the rear, and a large west-facing garden that opens out to an abundance of nature and sky. This prompted the architect to seek out innovative ways of introducing daylight to the interior, and employ design strategies to connect the rooms with the outdoor spaces.

Polysmiths’ Design Response

To resolve the brief and bring this vision to life, Polysmiths utilised 4 key design strategies in response to the brief:

1. Permitted Development done right

Polysmiths designed an extension that works within the constraints of Permitted Development Rights. Arched glazing for the new extension, and the exterior material used are all consistent with the original building. A Certificate of Lawfulness was achieved prior to construction, further minimised risks and kept the project on track.

2. Arches as cost effective, low-waste renovation solution

Collaborating closely with the structural engineer, structural blockwork arches were used to support the existing loadbearing walls, thereby connecting the rooms at the rear of the house, creating a more flexible, open floor plan. It is a cost effective solution that reduces demolition, construction waste, while eliminating the use of costly ground beams.

3. Softness in texture and natural materials

Polysmiths opted to using tonally soft lime plastering, paired with floor tiles (with underfloor heating) and bespoke walnut joinery to create a coherent, warm interior. A semi-circular skylight over the Dining room, affectionately dubbed the ‘oculus’, traces sunlight across the home throughout the day.

Lime plaster is applied over acoustic plasterboards throughout, creating a soft mottled hue, and reduces echo and noise reverb across the flexible living space. Several pieces of bespoke joinery were also designed by Polysmiths in collaboration with specialist joiners for the kitchen and dining room, using walnut as material for its deep warmth and varying wood grains.

With the savings from a streamlined material palette, the owners were able to invest in a red travertine stone kitchen island that forms the heart of the house. With its rich colour and striking vein texture, the kitchen island serves as a dramatic centre point for gathering and entertaining.

4. The garden as a second Living Room

It became clear, from early design discussions, that the garden was an integral part of the design, envisioned as an extension to the living room space. Polysmiths created a wide brick patio that extends the living room into the outdoors. The garden itself is conceived by the owners as a meandering path with an abundance of Mediterranean planting, including olive and fruit trees, as well as draught-resilient plants such as Lavender, Gaura, Rosemary, and Kniphofia.

Structural Engineer: Techne Engineering

Building Control: All Building Control

Main Contractor: Omniscient Construction 

Photography: Pierce Scourfield (https://www.piercescourfield.com/)