Dramatic reimagining of an apartment in Grade II-listed building that had once been a school

Solution

The key to this project was some inspired structural engineering that allowed dramatic additions to the property that would be completely reversible. This is essential when you are considering modernising and renovating a listed building - future generations might not appreciate the tastes of the early 21st century, so whatever you add should be removable at a later date without causing damage to the fabric of the property.

We used innovative methods to do this, including self-supporting steel beams and secondary support rods suspended from the existing structural column. In place of one wasteful staircase, we managed to fit in two that were both more efficient and architectural features in their own right.

We made the mezzanine 50% larger, with space for a decent-sized bedroom and an en-suite bathroom. On the ground floor, the large kitchen-living room stayed the same size, and in the back half it turned out there was room for two bedrooms and a bathroom.

So our client got a flat fully refurbished that still felt stylishly spacious while fitting much more in, and the council were able to grant us listed building consent secure in the knowledge that what we're doing could one day (if necessary) be undone.