STATION HOUSE London Islington N5
Conversion of a warehouse into a luxury apartment in Highbury conservation area.
When approached by the client, we were faced with a unique challenge: a two-floor residential unit located below street level. The space had been utilized as a residential unit, but its original layout lacked efficient functionality and suffered from a lack of natural light. An improvised entrance served as the exclusive access point, while the walls were lined with plasterboards and tiles, obscuring a remarkable structure of brick arches.
The apartment initially consisted of three bedrooms, with two of them lacking direct light or windows due to their positioning in the deep recesses of the property. The client’s initial request was a light refurbishment, without considering the potential for optimizing the space given the constraints of limited natural light in the bedrooms.
However, through extensive historical research, we made an intriguing discovery. The square arches that characterized the five sequential spaces within the apartment were remnants of the original Canterbury Station, which once bridged over the tracks. The upper part of the station had been demolished in the 1960s, but the bottom section of the structure remained intact.
Inspired by this historical revelation, we proposed a transformative design solution. One of the square arched spaces would have its roof opened, creating an internal lightwell that would provide access to natural light for the rear part of the property. This innovative intervention not only brought much-needed light into the previously dark bedrooms but also turned the flat into a viable and attractive investment opportunity.
By utilizing the unique architectural features of the remaining arch structures, the refurbishment project not only restored the historical significance of the space but also addressed the functional limitations that initially hampered its potential.
When approached by the client, we were faced with a unique challenge: a two-floor residential unit located below street level. The space had been utilized as a residential unit, but its original layout lacked efficient functionality and suffered from a lack of natural light. An improvised entrance served as the exclusive access point, while the walls were lined with plasterboards and tiles, obscuring a remarkable structure of brick arches.
The apartment initially consisted of three bedrooms, with two of them lacking direct light or windows due to their positioning in the deep recesses of the property. The client’s initial request was a light refurbishment, without considering the potential for optimizing the space given the constraints of limited natural light in the bedrooms.
However, through extensive historical research, we made an intriguing discovery. The square arches that characterized the five sequential spaces within the apartment were remnants of the original Canterbury Station, which once bridged over the tracks. The upper part of the station had been demolished in the 1960s, but the bottom section of the structure remained intact.
Inspired by this historical revelation, we proposed a transformative design solution. One of the square arched spaces would have its roof opened, creating an internal lightwell that would provide access to natural light for the rear part of the property. This innovative intervention not only brought much-needed light into the previously dark bedrooms but also turned the flat into a viable and attractive investment opportunity.
By utilizing the unique architectural features of the remaining arch structures, the refurbishment project not only restored the historical significance of the space but also addressed the functional limitations that initially hampered its potential.