Garden room is an extension to a Victorian cottage providing a new living space to the rear of the property.
The extension is a timber framed building that was designed and built to exceed current regulations in terms of thermal and environmental performance.
The whole process from initial design through planning and to completion was under 7 months. This was achieved thanks to a collaborative working relationship with the contractor and our network of consultants.
Bespoke fitted shelving and seat was designed by Project Entity and constructed by the main contractor. The shelving is made from exposed MDF boards providing an elegant and cost effective solution.
The design solution was to add a simple timber clad box onto the rear of the property. The timber cladding defines the new element against the period cottage, whilst also tying it in to neighbouring buildings and existing elements of cladding.
Large bifold doors allow the space to fully open to the garden and bring the outside into the inside all through the year. Skylights allow more light into the existing rooms improving the previous quality of illumination.
Master planning for a residential estate in the middle of Dorset.
Working with the landowners, we are looking at the potential to develop a parcel of land in Dorset. This project could potentially provide a mix of affordable housing and custom build plots.
The old council offices site has one of the most commanding views of Weymouth Marina and should play an important role in the architectural and social fabric of the historic centre of Weymouth. Currently this is not the case. The site has been left for many years now with the building empty and boarded up and the surrounding land given over to car parking. This is a shame as it is such a key element along this stretch of Marina and a key ‘moment’ in the fabric of Weymouth town centre. Over the years there have been attempts to develop the site, our study does not comment on these, but rather look at the site from a fresh view point.
We have, with our professional partners, undertaken a review of the existing building and its environs. We Looked at the building physics, the structural and architectural constraints and opportunities of the existing building and the surrounding site. This formed the backbone of our proposal.
The key to our proposal is the retention of the old building and using this as a framework to extend out from. By doing so we break up the horizontality of the current form.
This then provides the opportunity to tie the building into the existing fabric of the harbour front, to fill the gaps where the current car parks are situated and create a vibrant mix of commercial and residential properties.
Re-build the old High Street. An historic High Street used to run through the site and should form the backbone of any new development. This provides an opportunity to create a new pedestrian and cycle route. The reinstatement would bring back legibility to this area and make sense of the currently fragmented buildings. The new road would also provide a route to service the new development away from North Quay. Extend the semi pedestrianised zone of Trinity Street, The project could be a catalyst and an enabling development to improve the public realm along North Quay. Currently this area feels cut off and forgotten, which is a shame as it boasts some of the best views of the Marina and is so close to the town centre.
Go with the flow – Icelandic volcano visitors centre.
This project is a land-art installation, barely emerging from the landscape, creating a point of transition between the imposing height and mass of the volcano towards the South-East, and the endless horizontality of the landscape towards the lakes to the North.
Its sculptural approach is proposing a dramatization of the visitor’s experience, passing through scenographic features: Tense spaces carved into the site’s hard and dark rocks, lighting design and dramatic use of targeted framed view.
The visitors will start on their journey to climb the volcano, walking between the dark polished stone ‘canyon’s’ wall and the building’s external subterranean exhibition gallery wall. At the end, they will start their ascension through the dramatic deep cut, in the rocks, offering a vertical cross section view of the full height of the volcano.
On their way down they will land in the warm timber interior of the visitors centre, enjoying the full view of the landscape towards the lakes through the infinity horizontal window.
Every element of the design is either directly extracted from the site or manufactured off site and sized on a maximum 2.4m module to suit standard sized road transports for efficient on site dry assembly. There is a great potential for community involvement as all elements should be designed off site for ease of on site assembly, with minimal tools or site plant and aiming for zero site waste. The overall design principles follow a ‘no trace’ approach and the whole building could be dismounted, its components recycled and the area back filled, leaving minimal residual impact on the site. The design exclusively uses highly thermally performing building components and follows passive design principles of fabric first. We anticipate the services strategy will make the best use of local opportunities such as geothermal systems to further minimise its environmental footprint.
Ground Floor A wide entrance stair and lobby is the first space on the ground floor. This is a multi purpose flexible space and can be used for events, teaching sessions and presentations as the staircase doubles up as a raked seating area. On entering the building the visitor is directed towards an exhibition wall that runs along the majority of the length of the building. This provides a gallery space that is designed to be viewed from inside or outside of the building. This allows the exhibitions to be viewed even when the centre is not open. Two deeper areas are also provided for larger installations and provide access to the ancillary functions of the centre. Female, Male and Accessible toilets are located behind the gallery wall along with a storage area and office space. A lift provides an accessible route to the first floor.
At the far end of the building is a second smaller staircase that is aligned with the path up the volcano. Glazing wraps around the staircase providing a framed view of the volcano, the sky and the start of the panoramic window towards the lake. This area is a key nexus of the building providing a moment to appreciate the landscape the building sits within.
First Floor The first floor is given over entirely to the Café, with a supporting kitchen and service counter. The space can be subdivided to allow multiple events to occur concurrently. Benches are provided to allow visitors to rest and take in the vistas towards the lake.
Linear Landscape – The façade that presents itself to the wider landscape is minimal. The light spilling from the first floor cafe provides an illusion of the main volume floating on the landscape.
Every element of the design is either directly extracted from the site or manufactured off site and sized on a maximum 2.4m module to suit standard sized road transports for efficient on site dry assembly. There is a great potential for community involvement as all elements should be designed off site for ease of on site assembly, with minimal tools or site plant and aiming for zero site waste. The overall design principles follow a ‘no trace’ approach and the whole building could be dismounted, its components recycled and the area back filled, leaving minimal residual impact on the site. The design exclusively uses highly thermally performing building components and follows passive design principles of fabric first. We anticipate the services strategy will make the best use of local opportunities such as geothermal systems to further minimise its environmental footprint.
Custom development for 3 homes in the heart of Dorset.
(Axson Office image) – Maurward Close
We have just received planning approval for 3, 4 bedroom homes in Maurward Close. The Close sits within an area of outstanding natural beauty and is designed to complement the and improve the layout of the existing Close. It does this by using sympathetic materials and a rational placement of buildings.
This is an early concept sketch exploring the development possibilities and the final approved layout differs from this proposal. The houses on the left are all existing whilst the houses on the right are the proposed, the intention being that the new houses “complete” the Close and ultimately look like they have always been there.
Within the current planning climate it has been a very long process to get the required planning approvals. Through proactive engagement with the planners we finally got this approved this week.
6 Bedroom Ski lodge in the French alps, with flexible living spaces.
Les Carroz is a ski lodge perched on the side of a mountain with spectacular views across the surrounding French countryside. The brief is to provide a multi-generational home that can be subdivided into various configurations.
This has been achieved through a series of three main spaces that are all interconnected allowing the owners choose how they wish to use the space. Either as one large home or three separate lodges. Large sliding pocket doors can be easily opened and closed providing this flexibility.
Ground Floor Plan
The building floats above the landscape on timber posts with minimal impact on the ground and the environment. The material palette is kept to a minimum, timber and metal both internally and externally.
A derelict Grade II listed local landmark property brought back to life.
Annandale House before restoration
Annandale was a towering 6-bedroom part Victorian, part Georgian building, spread over 4 floors that had fallen into disrepair. It was too large for its reduced overgrown garden. It is Grade II listed and within a conservation area. The existing access was unsuitable, and the layout confused. Nobody wanted it.
We saw the potential and took on the challenge. In consultation with the Conservation Officer and local Historical Association, the house was sympathetically split into two dwellings along historic lines. The interior and exterior were renovated and fully restored to their original grandeur, using traditional lime plaster and reclaimed materials. Internally key features such as the sweeping staircase, original glazing and timber sash windows and plaster mouldings were all retained and restored. New modern kitchens and bathrooms were sensitively added, blending the historic with the modern.
Annandale House after restoration
Restored Staircase
Extensive ground works and landscaping were required to provide suitable access to both homes and the utility services all needed extensive upgrading and sub dividing.
The result looks like it always should have been, almost undetectable, which to us is a success. Our intention was not to provide radically different architectural statement but rather to sensitively restore a locally significant building and provide it with a new lease of life.
We facilitate all regulatory and statutory requirements for retail and commercial projects along with fire risk assessments.
One of Project Entity’s key collaborators is Th3 Standard, an international project management firm, originally based in Italy. With them, since 2016, we work for major international brands such as Sunglass Hut, Ray Ban, Oakley, David Clulow, Swarovski and Yves Saint Laurent, Nike, etc. to deliver retail fitout projects throughout the UK.
We facilitate all regulatory and statutory requirements for the projects and are instrumental in obtaining planning, listed building consents and Building regulation compliance in minimal time frames through our proactive and collaborative engagement with Local Planning Authorities and Approved Inspectors partners.
We also provide Fire Risk Assessment and Principal Designer Services.
A playful family home full of secret passageways, hidden rooms, and slides.
Sanctuary is a large family home in Berkshire for a couple who required large areas of internal space with a playful take on the interiors. The project is designed to form part of the landscape, its form is fragmented to allow nature into the heart of the building and to break up the mass so that the environment imposes itself on the building rather than the other way around.
Key to this scheme was the environmental strategy which Project Entity developed in close collaboration with our wider expert consultants team, designing a home that would have a very light environmental footprint regardless of its imposing size.
Proposed materials were chosen for their low carbon footprint and health impact and high recyclability. Heat recovery and energy generation are built into the design from the start, to supplement passive thermal design principles.
