Inexperienced terrazzo is mixed with concrete and clay-toned plaster at Terzetto, a London condo extension that structure studio ConForm Architects modeled on the home windows.
Positioned in a conservation space in Hampstead, the sunken rear extension opens up the prevailing condo, ridding it of low ceilings and darkish interiors, whereas reorienting the dwelling areas in direction of the backyard.
ConForm Architects’ design is outlined by its daring materials palette, which mixes inexperienced terrazzo, concrete and clay plaster and is used each indoors and outside.
Externally, these distinct supplies have been mixed to evoke the elements of a bay window – that are plinth, column and pediment. This offers rise to a geometrical form that’s angled away from the neighboring homes, serving to to attenuate the visible affect on them.
Balancing the coolness of the concrete plinths and terrazzo columns, the clay-hued plaster of the roof provides heat to the home whereas referencing the purple brick structure of the encircling terrace.
“The plaster has a direct reference from the purple brick above and the inexperienced terrazzo that blends with the verdant inexperienced setting of the backyard,” stated ConForm.
“These finishes have been all assembled with precision,” the studio continued. “The rougher clay surfaces on flat terrazzo and concrete actually add to the composition of the fabric palette.”
Inside, the Terzetto options an open-plan kitchen and lounge that opens to the skin, together with two bedrooms and ample space for storing.
Its up to date plan is an inverted model of the unique format, with the dwelling areas dropped at the again and the bedrooms to the entrance of the condo.
The toilet and a non-public rest room have been positioned within the middle of the plan the place it’s darkest, making certain bedrooms and the dwelling space with views to the skin.
“The bedrooms have been each in the back of the property, with the kitchen-dining area on the entrance,” ConForm Architects advised Dezeen. “This created the odd results of having to stroll by way of the bedrooms to get to the backyard.”
The polished terrazzo columns that encompass the primary dwelling area additionally prolong into the neighboring bed room, the place they body a small nook for a desk.
A hidden sliding door within the dwelling space can be utilized to create an extra visitor bed room or a comfy non-public space away from the eating space.
Surrounded by mature bushes, the onerous landscaping of the rear backyard is designed by ConForm Architects as a continuation of the concrete flooring and geometric plinths featured within the extension.
In the meantime, oak kitchen cupboards, flooring, doorways and window frames intention so as to add heat to the house whereas serving to to reinforce the connection between indoors and outside.
ConForm Architects fastidiously thought-about the positioning of home windows all through the home, with skylights and smaller glazed areas, offering clear views of the backyard from the doorway.
In the meantime, a big trapezoidal skylight within the extension permits the kitchen to be full of pure mild whereas sustaining privateness from neighboring buildings. Within the rear bed room, a high-level window above the desk frames views of the backyard, due to the sunken place of the kitchen within the extension.
Inexperienced terrazzo additionally took middle stage in architect Tim Robinson’s backyard studio, the place it was used to assist mix the constructing with the encircling tropical plantings.
Elsewhere in London, Gundry & Ducker used white terrazzo in White Rabbit Home, which is a colourful extension of a neo-Georgian home.
Pictures is by James Reteif.