Client: Private
Construction Costs: £145,000 + VAT
Status: Complete
Location: Kensal Rise, London
GIFA: 15 sqm

Press: featured Dezeen, Arqa, Grand Designs Magazine and Le Figaro. see articles here: Dezeen Article, Arqa Article and Le Figaro Article

A sunken weathered steel-clad extension in the rear garden of a London house is a sanctuary from London’s hustle and bustle and inclement weather. Dubbed the Brexit Bunker, the small studio provides a place to work or relax. Hot-rolled steel, the same material used in the construction of the railway track directly behind the site, was installed as cladding to the entire exterior of the garden room then left to rust naturally. Featuring a pyramidal roof with an oriel window, it faces the main house from the other end of a paved garden and is sandwiched between two reclaimed London Stock brick walls. The garden studio is nestled at the rear of a small garden connected by a patio clad in clay pavers, a contemporary addition that is still reminiscent of the reclaimed bricks used for the garden walls. Steps leads down from this patio to the Brexit Bunker’s door next to a projecting window box providing seating overlooking the garden. At the back, where it faces the railway tracks, the only views are upwards through the skylight. Plywood provides a surprising contrast to the rough exterior, lining the walls and ceiling to create a warm and light-filled space. Built-in storage has been arranged to provide a niche for seating below. A set of steps lead over the niche and up to create an accessible platform area directly beneath the skylight. “One can relax surrounded by the sounds of birds without any visual hint that they are in the city instead of the country; it is a place of sanctuary,” Client quote. The walls and roof of the studio have been highly insulated to offer both thermal and acoustic protection. A hanging light fixture also made from weathered steel illuminates the patio. Its shape is designed to emulate the pyramid-shape of the Brexit Bunker, connecting the house and the studio.