Glenavy, a protected structure, dates from around 1870 and is best known as the family home of the artist, Beatrice Elvery (Lady Glenavy), who’s original studio still stands to the rear of the house.
Set within beautiful gardens which are characterised by their magnificent mature trees, poorly considered extensions to the rear of the house had, over the years, obscured its physical and visual connection to the garden. The new design sought to remove the non-original interventions and re-establish these connections in the form of a new and distinctly contemporary architectural element that respected the character, scale and architectural heritage of the original house and its environs.
The new structure is expressed as a simple box, wrapped in 6m. tall charred larch slats to reflect the woodland setting and contrast with the masonry structure of the original house. To the rear, the larch forms a ‘veil’ across the full height windows of the new master bedroom, providing privacy and preventing overlooking without compromising views of the gardens from within. To connect this new volume, fully glazed double-height spaces form the ‘cartilage’ between the old and the new, linking the internal spaces in both plan and section to create multiple views at each floor level to the external spaces and surrounding garden. Text description by the architects.
