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When you think of a listed building, you likely think of historic houses, not converted Victorian schools. Our client owned a flat in such a building, but the design was impractical; the large space only had two bedrooms, and much of the area was absorbed by a curved staircase and a peculiar mezzanine with a small balcony over the kitchen. The layout made little sense, so the client sought a renovation that would create a more logical, spacious floorplan. Our challenge, of course, was to do this while respecting the property’s listed status.
We began by assessing how to reconfigure the flat's layout without compromising the building's historic integrity. To do this, we collaborated with structural engineers to devise solutions that would allow for significant changes while being completely reversible (a move which is more likely to gain planning approval because changes can be reverted back to their previous state). Our approach involved innovative methods such as self-supporting steel beams and secondary support rods suspended from the existing structural column, ensuring any additions could be removed without damaging the original structure.
The key to this project was inspired structural engineering that enabled dramatic yet reversible additions. We replaced the awkward curved staircase and expanded the mezzanine by 50%, creating space for a well-sized bedroom and an en-suite bathroom. The large kitchen-living room remained spacious but we reconfigured its back half to include two bedrooms and a bathroom. This renovation achieved our client's vision while ensuring future reversibility, and received listed building consent from the council. A wonderful result.
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