Winkley Workshop

A new 2 bedroom, 3 storey house occupying on an infill site.

Status: Completed 2014

Location: Bethnal Green

Winkley Workshop sits within Teesdale Yard, a collection of 2-storey workshops originally built for the East London furniture trade. The design process had to overcome numerous challenges imposed by the small site and its dense association with neighbouring properties within a conservation area. Externally, a cranked roof addition to the single storey structure mitigates any overshadowing and loss of daylight on neighbouring properties. The addition of a basement level allows for kitchen and living space to open out onto a stepped courtyard that links the lower level with Teesdale Yard.

To the street, the buildings' presence is subtle and controlled, yet from within the property is a voluminous experience with inter-related floorplates and long view lines that enhance the perception of space, scale and outlook. A flexible secondary bedroom/living space on the mezzanine upper ground floor engages with the level below. A private master bedroom, ensuite and balcony are accommodated on the top floor.

The building utilises its vertical stacking to establish a spatial, social hierarchy from the public lower levels to the private upper level. The verticality of the design eliminates the need for internal partitions and so the property is a free and open sequence of spaces divided only by stairs and joinery. Expansive glazing and a lightwell help to ensure the small property has an enlarged sense of light and space.

DRAW SUNLIGHT IN, FRAME VIEWS OUT

The layout is designed to maximise a sense of light, space and openness. This is achieved through the considered correlation between windows, openings and cut outs that draw sunlight into the plan and create view lines outwards.