property Photography by Peter Landers
The Cooperage, Clerkenwell, London
The award winning Cooperage is located on a tight, former industrial site and is believed to have been built in the early 1900s. It had been converted to residential use in the 1990s but this earlier renovation work had been rather unsympathetic to the history of the property, removing many original features and leaving interior spaces poorly configured.
Chris Dyson Architects were commissioned by the client to extend the building, and deliver a high quality renovation. The building is not listed but preservation and celebration of remaining original elements was a priority for the designer, its client and Islington Council’s conservation officer.
The scheme increased the overall floorspace from 388 square metres to 490 square metres. The architect rationalised the plan, arranging
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generous, open plan family and social spaces on the lower levels, and more private bedrooms and studies at higher levels. In order to do this, the architect expanded an existing basement to fill the site and extended the building vertically.
At basement level, the dining area sits beneath an opening glass roof, enabling it to be used as a semi-outdoor space in good weather. A large section of the ground floor slab was removed to create a triple height, top lit space. This simple removal of structure brings light from the existing rooflights to the depths of the building, and makes the original timber roof structure part of the living space, reconnecting the house to its industrial heritage.
A suspended freestanding staircase, made of steel and timber, is placed as an element in this space.
Running from basement to roof, the staircase rationalises the vertical circulation and references the building’s industrial past.
The second floor extension, containing master bedroom suite and roof terrace, replaces a non-original lead mansard roof. The extension is set back from the existing brick walls and is contemporary in design. It is clad in muted, patinated bronze panels and again provides a link to the industrial history of the site. It is distinguished from the original brick cooperage structure, yet takes cues from the original building’s language, with the proportions and layout of the new windows.
www.chrisdyson.co.uk
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