Scrabble House
The transformation of a Victorian terraced, former HMO property in the central Cambridge conservation area, described by the clients as ‘awaiting its moment of glory’.
The brief for this project was to create a light, contemporary, open plan kitchen and dining space, which had a stronger connection with the rear garden.
The final scheme included large expanses of glazing, generous ceiling heights, a feature pocket door and mahogany flooring reclaimed from a local School gymnasium. The clients, both with impeccable taste and a design background, added a number of finishing touches, such as the Scrabble lettered kitchen splash back and garden sculptures, which help to personalise and complete the project.
The flank walls of the extension are of masonry construction, with an internalised exposed Gault brick wall and the rear infill elevation is timber framed, to allow flexibility in the integration of the large sliding doors and feature pocket door, which lead seamlessly out to the contemporary landscaped terrace, featuring wrap around seating and a cedar boarded fence.
Externally, the dark render provides a striking yet relatively economical external envelope, which when combined with the thin black framed sliding doors and black Anthra Zinc copings, helps to create a complimentary palette of materials in varying tones of black/grey. The roof of the extension includes an extensive green roof system which has been planted with Chamomile, and once established its flowers will be visible from ground level, creating a playful, fun contradiction to the black volume below.
Main Contractor: Cambridge Building Collective
Landscaping Contractor: Summit Landscapes
Engineer: Andrew Firebrace Partnership
Photo credit: Matthew Smith Photography