Apartment Block

Coffey Architects has completed an intricately crafted residential apartment in London

Photos
Timothy Soar

Designed by Coffey Architects, Apartment Block is a two-storey flat located within a Grade II-listed building on the Kingsway Place estate in London. Originally constructed in 1892, the existing building was converted from a school to residential and commercial use in 2000. “The design concept was to celebrate the history of the building and make a clear definition between what is old and new”, says project architect Ella Wright. “It is a contemporary piece of handcrafted, inhabited joinery inserted into a historic envelope; the two fused together in light and material richness.”

All of the flat’s non-original features, including everything from the 2000 conversion, have been stripped out. The envelope is left open and bare to retain the drama and history of the space. By reconfiguring the existing mezzanine, the architect has been able to maximise the sense of openness, light and space. The living space is ‘carved’ out of more than 30,000 individually cut and laid blocks of European Oak, and includes Victorian features, such as sash windows, glazing and cornicing. An etched image of the original classroom dated 1906 is set into the new structure to provide further historical reference.

Located below the mezzanine and behind the living area is the kitchen and a flexible dining room, which can be converted into a second bedroom if needed. Sliding pocket doors allow daylight to penetrate deep into the plan, while also permitting the kitchen to be closed off from the living space. A staircase, which has been moved to the side of the plan for reasons of spatial efficiency, leads up to a study area overlooking the double-height living space. Crafted, Japanese-inspired sliding screens separate the study space from the master bedroom.

Original glazed green bricks line the perimeter of the ground floor living area. The refurbished sash windows feature ornately crafted opening shutters that are lined with translucent linen to maintain both daylighting and privacy. Hand cut timber blocks cover most of the space, including flooring in the living room, kitchen, dining room and mezzanine office. They also form the ceiling above the kitchen and dining room, an ornate stair and handrail connecting the two floors, and a bespoke desk and dresser. The woodgrain texture of the blocks is intended to complement the lightly striped oak timber joinery that lines three sides of the flat, forming partition walls and hidden storage.