Extension and Alterations, Sheffield

This project called for the exploration of possibilities for a semi-detached house with a number of problems:

• Poor thermal performance - as identified by the thermal imaging, the lack of cavity wall and loft insulation is causing significant heat loss.

• A compromised and confusing layout at the back of the house exacerbated by the existing conservatory and bay window additions.

There were also opportunities to:

• Explore the feasibility of a loft conversion.

• Create a pottery studio from the existing garage.

• Add a new kitchen extension that made the most of the southerly aspect out onto the garden.

• Reconfiguration of the adjacent interior.

The design exercise started with sketching out options for extending into the roof space, different scales of ground floor extension, the recasting of the living room as a snug off the extension, the creation of utility spaces from the space released by the kitchen relocation, and conversion of the garage into a household storage and pottery studio. Alongside this proposals were put forward for building fabric improvements to improve the thermal performance of the home.

The concept designs were then cost checked with a Quantity Surveyor to refine the scope of the project to take forward into more detailed design.

The design development of the extension and ground floor alterations utilised daylight modelling to help make decisions about the configuration of glazing and rooflight - with a resulting shift from an eaves rooflight arrangement in the early concept design to a facade-shading roof overhang and set-back rooflight to optimise light penetration into the main house interior in the developed design.