In 2020 we came across an old Victorian house in a poor state. Originally built by Thomas Keylock, the builder of Deptford Park in 1898, and surrounded by unused land, it provided the perfect canvas for our next project.
After a year of securing planning permission, we began our mission to bring this near derelict locally listed building back to life, build 5 new homes to Passivhaus principles, and create our very own city farm (a long-harboured goal), in collaboration with Urban Organic.
Measuring 3,000sq ft, we saw the potential to divide the building into two new homes. Unfolding across four floors, each house has three double bedrooms, with living areas reconfigured to elegantly respond to the original bones of the building. An open-plan kitchen and dining room unfold across the entirety of the ground floor. A carefully restored stock brick façade punctuated by a generous bay and sash windows, and reinstated cornicing and ceiling roses in the living area pays homage to the period’s architectural details.
The five Passivhaus townhouses (two- and three-beds) employ a palette of yellow brick and silvery zinc to create a terrace of undulating forms punctuated with vast timber-framed arched windows. The size and orientation of the windows really matter – we made sure that these houses make the most of sun when it’s available in order to create bright and airy environments. Once they capture the sun’s energy, the well-insulated homes, which have triple-glazed windows, don’t lose it. They also have underfloor heating and MVHRs, which promise comfort and lower energy bills too. The interiors host subtle nods to modernist design seen in the exposed block walls, plywood joinery and woodchip terrazzo.
Each house also has a front garden, meticulously landscaped with a broad variety of evergreen plants and perennials for additional shade and privacy.
Photography by The Modern House
