Architect:
Hopkins Architects - Londen.
As well as a house, a studio was needed for the (then) recently architectural practice. The leafy street of Regency villas suggested the detached form of the building. Its footprint was defined by building restriction lines, leaving a 10m x 12 m rectangle on two levels. From the front, however, the house appears to be single-storey, because the site is 2,5 meters below the road. The main entrance is at first-floor level across a footbridge, spanning a slope down to the garden level.
Construction techniques, being developed for larger commercial buildings, were used. A small-scale construction grid of 2 x 4 meters was chosen, which meant the components could be small and light. Perimeter columns at 2 metre centres support the cladding and glazing, without subframes. Metal decking for both the floor and roof is supported on a two-way grid of lattice trusses on free-standing columns.
Venetian blinds hanging between the internal columns define the various living functions, while prefabricated melamine partitions enclose the bedrooms and shower rooms. The two levels are connected by a spiral staircase. The basic strategy and cost restraints have produced a building of simplicity and refinement.
The Hopkins continue to enjoy their home!
