A Glass Extension Enlivens an Old Georgian-Style Home in Rural England

Project Details:

Project Name: Pergolas House

Location: Leicestershire, England

Architect: Will Gamble Architects / @willgamble_architects

Structural Engineer: Axiom

General Contractor: James Gamble Construction

Landscape Design: Emma Scarborough

Photographer: Rory Gardiner / @arorygardiner

From the Architect: "The client approached Will Gamble Architects to extend this Georgian style house in a conservation area. The brief was to provide a contemporary kitchen, dining, and living area within the ground floor and a primary bedroom with an en suite over the first floor. Will Gamble Architects also reconfigured part of the existing house to rationalize the previously disjointed arrangement of rooms and provide a more symmetrical floor plan that is true to Georgian design principles.

"Owing to the sensitive nature of the property being located in a conservation area, the design of the first floor addition (which is visible from the street) draws inspiration from the vernacular of the existing property and the surrounding village scene. It is conceived as an ancillary ‘pavilion type’ structure connected to the main house via a glazed link. Throughout the ground floor, the extension is more contemporary in its appearance and draws inspiration from the garden pergola to establish a connection with the surrounding gardens. A contemporary oak frame was proposed with full height glazing that maximizes views of the gardens. The lightweight nature of the ground floor extension juxtaposes the heavy masonry walls of the existing property and helps define old from new. Internally, there is a polished concrete floor with a sunken garden room.

"A formal courtyard garden maximizes the amount of light entering the space and forms a set-piece for the new accommodation to be arranged around. It also facilitates cross ventilation to passively cool the main living space during the summer months. The pergola structure provides solar shading to the glazed facade, while triple glazing with solar reflective glass improves the thermal efficiency of the building’s envelope."