History and Context
The site is located at the edge of a typical suburban residential area that was developed in the 2000s. The house was built originally as a ‘show home’ for the development of a group of two- to three-storey detached and semi-detached family homes.

Client’s vision
The client requested a full-width rear extension to accommodate an open floor plan incorporating a large kitchen. A spatially open but articulated configuration between the kitchen, living and dining space was requested as a key element.

Design approach
For this project our design effort was focused on the internal configuration. From the beginning, we shared the client’s view that the extension should be coherent with the original house as well as the neighbouring properties. The proposed red brick, well-proportioned extension, with a large opening in the rear wall has been approved within the parameters ‘permitted development’. We studied several options of internal spatial configuration to take best advantage of the extra space created by the extension.
The interior is reconfigured in the order of kitchen, dining, and living space to marry the flow of life in the home. The kitchen and the dining area will get the maximum benefit of natural light, as well as direct access to the garden terrace; whereas the living space is arranged at the more secluded, quiet corner of the house and can be separated from the other areas by a large sliding panel.
Overall, the extension is a typical example of permitted development. However, the remodelling of the internal configuration allowed us to address issues commonly affecting ad-hoc extensions, and ensured a functional spatial arrangement.