Constructed circa 1960, 185 Peperharow Road consists of a three-storey terraced private dwelling on a heavily sloped site at the banks of the River Wey.
The existing building comprised a timber framed construction supported on a stepped raft foundation providing a garden store at the lower ground floor level with living areas over.
The client’s brief was to maximise available habitable space and provide unhindered views to the adjoining woodland whilst ensuring the works had as minimal environmental impact as possible.
The contemporary architectural design required a robust and flexible floor plan to ensure the aesthetics were not compromised by structural elements. The closely integrated design makes complicated junction details appear clean and uncluttered, maximising the use of structural timber as far as practical to mitigate the environmental impact of the proposals.
In addition to the main two-storey extension, Bloc worked closely with the Architect in the development of the rear garden areas, designing an array of tiered retaining structures to enhance the external living and recreational spaces.
The site presented poor ground conditions, being underlain by soft alluvial clays. Bloc were able to develop a foundation solution which mitigated the requirement for specialist and costly piled foundations, whilst minimising the volume of environmentally detrimental concrete.
Bloc’s considered design provided a building structure which not only exceeded the client’s expectations, but also minimised its environmental impact and build programme.
