The Richmond house is particularly important for the Belgrade based studio RAUM because of its foreign context and the specific terms set by the client. The client wanted to turn a typical 60’s family house into a contemporary home in terms of design and function as well as to get about 50 sqm of additional space.
© RAUM . Published on December 20, 2013.
It had to be a cutting edge design well fitted in a typical 60’s London detached housing neighbourhood which at the same time was to be in line with firm local building regulations. While the main intention was to gain on the resale value of the house, the time scale was as important. The client wanted the intervention to be done in such a way that no additional planning permissions are needed, since application period for the permissions could postpone the building process for a long period of time.The design approach was based on turning all these limitations into a specific design value.
© RAUM . Published on December 20, 2013.
The idea was to “conceal” the fact that it is a reconstruction of an existing house and to work within boundaries on a design that would appear and act as a newly designed modern home.The traditional functional scheme with lots of partition walls and small secluded spaces was remodeled and set according to the needs of a modern London upper middle class family. The ground floor is designed to operate as an open plan social zone, with a double height volume in the middle and a complementary service area on one quarter of the plan.
© RAUM . Published on December 20, 2013.
The first floor is structured as two independent volumes that are connected by a bridge.One volume is exclusively a parent’s zone with a spacious master bedroom, along with a bathroom, a dressing room and a study, while the other one is to accommodate children and all their needs plus potential guests. Two distinctive zones are separated by a double height void that goes all the way from the front to the rear of the house. This is to be seen on both elevations, so that the house performs as “a see through”.
Large glass surfaces and corner windows allow users to be in a constant touch with the outdoors. The ground floor opens up towards the garden and reestablishes the relationship between the house and its natural environment.