Room for a Musician in The Architects' Journal

Room for a Musician in The AJ Buildings Library

Start: 01/2016   End: 11/2016   Gross area: 123sqm

Party Wall Surveyor: FFT
Approved Inspector: Assent
Contractor: Polbath
Joinery: Polbath
Photography: © Simon Maxwell

Services: Feasibility, Planning, Building Regulations, Detail Design, Tender, Contract Administration

‘A Room for a Musician’ is a small, infill-extension set within a leafy, Highbury terrace formed almost entirely underground. The result is a tardis-like trio of new subterranean spaces filled with daylight at every turn.
The original brief was to rid the client’s duplex flat of a master bedroom long afflicted with damp, poor daylight and obstructed views to the garden. The client had to be persuaded JFA’s solution involving lots of digging, and some major new sub-structure for relatively little gain in floor area, was the best option. 
The primary move was to excavate the redundant side section of garden to create a 6m2 glazed, internal lightwell - the pivotal space for the musician-client to compose and practice his music. An enlarged doorway flowed from the bedroom, with a discreet curtain track for privacy and blackout.
Secondly, a level threshold and glazed pivot door were installed along with new external steps (further digging) to access the garden and terrace, edged with a slender balustrade. A new fabricated metal stair with glazed landing was installed to connect to the upper ground level.
Finally, opening-up of existing vaults discovered beneath the kitchen and slightly reducing the floor level (with yet more digging) formed a new walk-in wardrobe and soundproof home studio.
The ‘basement suite’ was completed in late 2016 to the client’s delight.
If the project were put to music it would probably be called ‘Earthworks’ – an opus in three movements, all of which involve, well, digging…