Saturday 19 February 2011

Digital survey for digital fabrication

by Tim Lucas

Today we carried out a detailed survey of the site with Rabir Francis and his Topcon total station. The house will be prefabricated in a factory and must fit precisely into the existing brick walls on the boundaries of the site. The survey will allow us to create a 3D model of the house that will eventually be used to drive computer controlled fabrication processes for both the outside and inside of the house.

Wednesday 9 February 2011

Planning is working

by Jo Lucas
On 3rd February 2011, the London Borough Richmond-upon-Thames planning committee gave unanimous consent for a contemporary four bedroom house in a conservation area, in the shadow of Kew Gardens.

Given the recent change in Government and the associated changes in planning laws with a focus on localism, we were not at any point assured of getting planning for such a modern design.  On the night of the planning committee, the two cases previous to ours were refused and our level of tension rose.  We have such a clear vision of what we want to achieve with our home.  Our key challenge was to share that vision with the planners, the committee and our future neighbours, in the hope they would support our plans.    Our architects put considerable effort into producing models, images and succinct reports to bring our plans to life for others.  We were extremely appreciative that some of our neighbours came to show their support and speak in favour of the scheme.
Tree house massing model presented to the planning committee
Tree house could not exist anywhere else but in Kew, possibly not even outside of Cambridge Road. The final high quality design has been achieved by working in collaboration with the planners and in close consultation with the local community, to create a contemporary re-interpretation of the local vernacular:   The retained frontage beds the house into the street, the gabled forms reflect the roofscape of the surrounding area and the material palette provides a modern twist on the autumnal hues of the neighbouring properties.

Planning is about allowing high quality design that will create a sustainable legacy and the process has worked to deliver this.  As Councillor Martin Elgorn said, "We should congratulate the architects and client for what they have come up with".

Saturday 5 February 2011

Materials

The house has will be made from weathering steel.  This is the same material that was used to build the Tree top walkway in Kew Gardens.  The steel will develop a rich deep autumnal red and brown patina that will blend in with the surrounding brick buildings in Cambridge road.

Weathering steel 'tree' in Kew Gardens
The shell of the house is a like the hull of a boat, it is waterproof and is also the structure of the house.  This means that the walls can be highly insulated and air tight to minimise heat losses.