Page 107 - AIT0322_E-Paper

Entwurf • Design Remi.C.T Studio, GB-London
Grundriss Untergeschoss • Basement floor plan
Grundriss Erdgeschoss • Ground floor plan
Grundriss Dachgeschoss • Attic floor plan
Bauherr • Client Remi Connolly-Taylor, GB-London
Standort • Location Ash Road, Maryland, GB-London
Nutzfläche • Floor space 100 m 2
Fotos • Photos James Retief, GB-London
Mehr Infos auf Seite • More info on page 134
MARYLAND HOUSE
IN LONDON
New neighbour are never welcome if they are loud, in-
trusive and boastful. So the young architect Remi Con-
nolly-Taylor got a few things right when she built her
own new home including a studio in the East London
district of Maryland: her first project blends considera-
tely into the neighbouring development and surprises
with a great deal of charm, openness and pragmatism.
T he housing situation in London is definitely not an easy one. The
population has been growing rapidly for decades, while at the
same time not enough new housing is being created. Architects agree
on one point in particular: micro houses and densification are an ex-
cellent approach to counteract the urban housing shortage. Remi Con-
nolly-Taylor recently demonstrated how such cost- and time-efficient
densification projects can be successfully implemented in conurbations
when she built her own home including a studio on a gap site in East
London. The young architect and project developer succeeded in con-
structing a sophisticated timber-frame building with a brick slips fa-
çade in a short construction time, which blends in harmoniously with
the adjacent two-storey terraced houses. In order not to exceed their
building height and still achieve as much naturally lit living space as
possible, the graduate of New York’s Columbia University had a three-
metre-high basement built and cut open the linear structure in several
places: an atrium opened up by glass blocks in the rear part of the buil-
ding ensures that all three levels receive plenty of light. To the south, a
spacious outdoor area with a view of the neighbouring front gardens
has been laid out; to the west is a wide roof terrace. Remi has boldly
turned the typical sequence of rooms in the surrounding terraced hou-
ses topsy-turvy here: as an integral part of her lifestyle, the work area
is located in the light-flooded attic. The private bedrooms are on the
ground floor, while the basement accommodates a golden eat-in kit-
chen. Yes, that’s exactly how casual the interior design details and co-
lourful highlights are at Maryland House, where a bright red staircase
made of thin, perforated sheet steel runs vertically through the house
like a folded ribbon and the water flows directly from golden pipes in-
stalled well visibly on the wall. However, the fact that these extravagan-
ces are subtly displayed in the interior makes the whole project sym-
pathetic and unpretentious. Thus, the creative and social balancing act
of integrating an unusual architect’s house into the uniform develop-
ment of a terraced housing estate has been successfully mastered.
AIT 3.2022 • 107