Sunken House
A feasibility study for a three bedroom house to a backland site in Islington. The surrounding houses are listed as are the boundary walls.
The feasibility study assessed the possibilities of creating a south facing home with significant passive solar gain in a tight urban sight. The living spaces at ground floor are accessed over a bridge which crosses the sunken courtyard. Bedrooms are located at lower ground.
A significant dig and retaining wall structure are required to create the home, this process of cutting into the ground is carried through to the detail where internal walls are treated in the same way as the external courtyard walls. Creating a sense of continuity not only from inside to outside but also from below ground to above ground.
Using the double height spaces throughout the home a playful tension between levels is achieved.
