Clerkenwell Warehouse
This 1999 scheme is an intervention in a warehouse building on a street which was historically composed of bullion workshops. When our original clients bought the building in 1997, it had planning consent to be turned into a dwelling house but no consent to change the appearance of at all Our work consisted of a new ground floor façade and a roof terrace, remodelling the interiors creating a kitchen and dining room in the old garage. We recently worked on remodelling the interior with the new owner, including a new kitchen and bathroom.
During the week the street is busy with security vans, but at the weekend this part of the city shuts down; pubs close, restaurants aren’t open etcetera. Our clients’ original brief was to want to have as much natural light as possible in the kitchen without compromising privacy. So to take advantage of this strange situation the large window opens creating a seat onto the street so that the inhabitants, a chef and a lighting designer, can place a table on the street and use it as an external room when they can entertain and have dinner parties.
The large glass has a mirrored film on it which enables inhabitants to see out without being overlooked, however, in the evening, when the street is deserted and the lights are on inside and it is dark outside you can see into the interior. The monolithic concrete wall protects the interior physically and psychologically and was cast against timber in places and in others against glass. The roof terrace was formed by a simple glass balustrade.
