Cut & Fold | ashton porter architects

An addition and remodelling to a Victorian house in Twickenham. An imprint of the existing front facade of the house is relocated within a floating stainless steel frame to the front of a new side addition. This floating facade is separated from both the new addition behind and existing house by a band of structural glass. The new addition is characterised by its separation and glass connection to the existing building at both the front and the rear. 
The front facade to the side addition is a subtle framing of the existing building supported on a cantilevered structure with just two 12mm rods for lateral restraint. To the rear, the cantilever condition is repeated and is more explicit in its execution. A new rear facade folds over the glazed void framing views into the garden. The facade hovers at first floor level unsupported by columns. It cantilevers from the original house over the garden to create a protected steel stair which links the new living space to both the garden and the new kitchen and dining space below. 
The existing basement level is lowered at the rear to form a new dining and kitchen space. A double height glass void links the new side addition, new basement, a new study and the existing ground floor living space. Each folds into the glass volume and has framed views either into or through it to the garden beyond. There are 12 cantilevers within the project. Some are discreet and some are overt. The floating framed front elevation sits on a steel cantilever frame, it is restrained by two 12mm rods but its cutting and repositioning from the existing building attempts to be subtle but unnerving as, on closer inspection, it breaks the conventions of traditional building technique. In contract the rear elevation hangs form a hidden cantilevering beam of 600mm depth at roof level which acts as a large scale framing device for the rear garden. Both rear addition and front elevation have structural bonded glass infill’s between new and old.