Introducing Introduction

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It all started with two years of planning, no matter the size, we had to win every argument to prove the validity of the proposal, and then another 2 years of construction at the start of the global pandemic. So for the past 4 to 5 years, this program has been an important part of our lives.
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The Proposal

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The Arches is a terraced house made up of 6 new terraced villas in the Dartmouth Park Reserve in north-west London. This project is right on the way to the famous Grove Terrace, which we consider to be one of the most beautiful Georgian terraces in London. Our initial design concept was inspired by the open greens along Hagert Road, and our earliest discussion with Camden was to reconnect 2 open public greens on either side of the site. This means restoring the greenery to the way it was when it was closer to 1873. Futurist Victorian retrograde! This new green space serves as a buffer zone for the proposed building behind, and from Hagert Road it appears to be a single storey 6 stables house, to maintain a clear uninterrupted green line when viewed from the street. The entrance to the house is located on College Lane, to enhance the Victorian architectural style. And it matches other old historic cottages along the road to the south.
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The Construction & Sustainability

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The old gas station that has been on the site since the 1950s was marked by the commission as a “negative contribution” to the local preserve, with its large front yard and oversized awning blocking the view through the site. Cleaning up contaminated sites is a valuable benefit of the program. The first stop is to safely completely remove the old 1950s tank, remove all contaminated dirt, and cover it with new open safe green public spaces. We use wooden buildings as much as possible.

The planners asked us to build an underground structure deep underground, so the retaining wall is reinforced concrete, but inside it is a lightweight prefabricated wooden structure that is built on the field and then assembled in a matter of days. Lightweight steel cross supports secure the mega arch in place. A green roof was installed to collect rainwater, and photovoltaic cells were installed on the roof to add renewable energy to the home. We sourced Ibstock Bexhill Red Multi Bricks for the erection and explored the bonding patterns of the bricks to distinguish different areas of the building and give order to each level. The arch itself is concrete poured off-site under controlled factory conditions, rather than the traditional wet-style architectural arch. These concrete arches are then covered with brick tiles.
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Residence/Office The Dwellings/Layout

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Each house is about 130 ㎡, has 3/4 bedrooms and a study and garden room. Similar to the layout of the proposed residence, the unit entrance is located on College Lane. Due to the slope of the land, the entrance to the unit is either flush with the path or access to all properties via a stair entrance benefits the front garden, which has a private bin storage area, entrance passage and a light well to illuminate rooms facing College Lane on the ground floor. The lower ground floor offers two additional bedrooms, two bathrooms and a light well on the College Lane frontage. The ground floor includes an open-plan living/kitchen space with access to the sunken back garden overlooking Haigert Road and the newly built meadow. Due to the stair nature of the venue, this lower level does not feel like a basement, despite being close to the main thoroughfare, the living space has a sense of isolation from the world and plenty of natural light.

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