Team: Michel Schranz, Niti Malik & Sarah Resch

MSDA was asked to design a scheme that makes better use of a dingy lower ground level and a boxy, raised ground level where every room seemed decent but still too small to be furnished in a sensible manner. All rooms were also very shut off from each other.

We started to open up spaces and connect them lateral and vertical. Due to budget restrictions we tried to use as much of the original structure as possible; for example, we used 2 sash windows that were lined up vertically in the rear façade to create a very tall, slot window by just connecting them. We also consolidated an erratic array of down and soil pipes on the rear façade to create a much calmer, fitting elevation into the rear, lower terrace. We removed corridor walls, doubled up doors creating lobbies at various levels and removing foe, grp cornices that had been put in during the last refurbishment. All bathrooms were re-fitted, and partially new floors were laid.

The client was delighted at the result, and so were we and apparently even the estate agents…. Even though we actually reduced the footprint as we opened up some floor space between the lower ground dine-in kitchen and the raised ground sitting room.

Callcott Street