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Erbar Mattes converts old pub into apartments in handmade grey-brown bricks in London
United Kingdom Architecture News - Jun 23, 2022 - 12:31 1485 views
London-based architecture practice Erbar Mattes has converted a former pub into new apartments in London, United Kingdom.
Called Blockmakers Arms, the 650-square-metre building comprises renovation, additions and redesign of some existing elements adapted to the exsisting structure of the building.
The project is located within the London Borough of Hackney, and it forms part of the Regent Canal Conservation Area and is Grade II listed.
Image © Simon Menges
The site is located at the end of a terrace of three storey town houses and mixed use office and residential blocks occupy the sites of a former industrial sawmill and clothing factory to west and the north.
In 1970s, the old pub itself was converted into three independent flats with the addition of an external stair to the rear façade to connect the upper floors.
Image © Simon Menges
The client brief called for the amalgamation of ground to create a five-bedroom duplex and new floor apartments in the first floor while retaining independent access to the second-floor.
To resolve this challenge, the studio relocated external circulation to the side passage, creating a new visual and physical connection to the courtyard.
It forms a small-scale loggia with solid masonry columns and offers a sheltered space, while adding a layer of privacy from the neighbours.
Image © Simon Menges
"The architectural concept responds to the sensitive historic context and planning regulations of the surrounding area by retaining most of the original fabric, with demolition mostly limited to incongruous extensions that detract from the legibility of the listed building," said Erbar Mattes.
Image © Simon Menges
Built in handmade grey-brown bricks and matching coping stones, the new additions complement the weathered 19th century masonry, without detracting from the existing buildings’ ornate front façade.
The architects preferred to use a unifying material palette that reflects a clear and structured language of the row of Georgian houses.
Image © Ståle Eriks
On the first level, a former function room's floor and other elements are clad in original timber panelling, while window reveals and fire places are restored to form a generous bedroom leading onto the front roof terrace.
A new internal staircase overlooking the courtyard trees, and further bed and bathrooms are located in the new side and rear additions.
Other details, such as window cills, copings and external stair, are constructed in pigmented precast concrete, reinforcing the monolithic quality of the building.
Image © Ståle Eriks
Image © Ståle Eriks
Image © Ståle Eriks
Image © Ståle Eriks
Site plan
Ground floor plan
First floor plan
Second floor plan
Model view
Model view
Erbar Mattes is a London-based international architecture practice established by Demian Erbar and Holger Mattes. The studio designs projects delivering a timeless architecture that is firmly rooted in context.
Project facts
Project name: Blockmakers Arms
Architect: Erbar Mattes Architects
Location: London, UK
Date: 2017-2021
Client: Private
Structural Engineer: Morph Structures
Services Engineer: Environmental Engineering Partnership
Gross internal floor area: 560 m2
Site area: 412 m2
Top image © Ståle Eriks.
All drawings & models © Erbar Mattes Architects.
> via Erbar Mattes Architects