residence, architectural practice, online
Sanya Polescuk Architects, 2012
8a Belsize Court Garages, NW3 5AJ
Originally a late 19C coachman's living quarters and stable, this mews house combines an award-winning architects' studio and a spacious light-filled maisonette after a 2-phase carbon-reducing retrofit.
Belsize Park, Swiss Cottage
Hampstead Heath
168, 268, 46
The building has limited seating on the ground and top floor. The flat has carpets so guests will be kindly asked to remove their shoes.
Originally a Victorian coach-and-horses stables with a hayloft and coachman's quarters above. The ground floor of this 19th-century mews house is now a home to an award-winning architects' studio and a local community land trust, and a 4-bedroom upper maisonette is rented as an HMO and normally closed to the public.
The two-stage retrofit began on the ground floor where the design reveals the original Victorian ironworks, wall tiles, timber panelling, cobblestones, etc.
The second stage of the retrofit was the upper maisonette with 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms on the 1st floor and an open-plan living/kitchen/dining space above where all the occupants can enjoy the abundance of natural daylight.
The main idea behind the project was to return the building to its originally intended use, providing a place to live and work. Leading all design decisions was to retain the original Victorian features while making as many carbon-reducing and energy-saving improvements as possible:
• 'Wrap up Warm!' upgrading all external fabric with a combination of breathable and non-breathable insulation;
• MVHR units installed in the upper maisonette;
• New thin double-glazing fitted into original timber window sashes;
• Triple-glazed units fitted into the new dormer windows and rooflights;
• Water-saving and energy-efficient fittings;
• Solar-thermal installation on the roof providing much of the hot water for the maisonette.
