Site Specific: Vault House

Studio Ben Allen - York, 2018

Taking their cue from the masonry construction that characterises the local vernacular buildings, Studio Ben Allen has transformed a typical terraced house in Yorkshire with a new extension, introducing a pair of structural barrel vaults which wrap the new spaces with the warm tones of the local York brick.

SBA Our brief was to refurbish and extend a typical "L" shaped Victorian terraced house overlooking the river Ouse in York. This house type is grand on the front and utilitarian at the rear, often with small back yards adjoining narrow brick lanes. It was the simple beauty of these rear spaces, yards and lanes, a landscape almost completely of one material: local York brick, that was the inspiration and departure point for the design. The house, situated within a conservation area, is reached either by the river side pedestrian walk or from a back lane.

As well as the core brief to bring the house up to modern standards in terms of heating, bathroom and kitchen provision, window replacement and general redecoration throughout, the client also asked us to investigate the conversion of the attic space into a second workroom/studio. The most open part of the brief was the possible extension of the house for which the client was interested to investigate the general possibilities of how to improve the rear of the house, potentially creating a new work and dining space, bringing in more light and providing storage for their collection of bicycles.

The extension, built of load-bearing handmade York bricks, fills the back yard leaving a small glazed courtyard garden which brings light deep into the house. The extension contains a kitchen, living and work space. The roof comprised of two structural barrel vaults (the brickwork is load bearing). On the East elevation (facing the back lane), the two glazed vault-ends provide high level light from the back lane whilst on the west side one of the vaults frames the view of the courtyard. The newly enlarged ground floor creates one expansive space with the courtyard appearing as a room within a room.

The materials are robust, utilitarian and designed to last and improve with age. The cupboard doors are solid oak and the concrete counter is supported on three solid concrete arches. The heated floor is a cement screed that is typically used as a sub-floor. A bike store caters for the clients’ keen love of cycling (it also disguises the bin store - the bike store was by happy co-incidence also a planning condition) and can house up to six bikes. The first floor bathroom also follows the utilitarian theme with inexpensive taps stripped back to their base brass and matched with bespoke milled brass elements.

The stair to the attic and bedroom wardrobes are designed as one element that interlocks through the central wall of the house. The stairs are computer (CNC) milled from birch plywood and made as a kit of parts to save costs and for quick assembly on site. In order to save on material, we produced nesting plans for all of the kitchen and cupboard wood panels showing how they could be cut with minimum wastage.

NOTES

Posted 25th June 2021.

Thanks to Ben Allen for his help in compiling this article.

Except where noted all images @ Ben Allen Studio.