Architects Bureau de Change create a concrete waffle roof for a period residence

Architects bureau de change create a concrete waffle roof for a period residence
© Ben Blossom

The focal point of the project is a concrete waffle shaped roof, which sits aloft the new living area. Its pre-fabricated peaks and troughs create trenches for rooftop planting, softening the volume, establishing a connection with the leafy surroundings and creating pleasing views from the floors above. From the garden, the roof trenches are out of sight, giving the immediate effect of a simple concrete slab, which contrasts with the texture of the original building.

Architects bureau de change create a concrete waffle roof for a period residence
© Ben Blossom

The underside of the new roof is exposed to create the living room ceiling, its pronounced ‘beams’ created by the sunken roof planters above. The motion of the waffle ceiling creates a satisfying rhythm, which also offers a logical position for a substantial skylight that traverses the full width of the extension. This strip of natural light illuminates the kitchen, which would otherwise be overcast by its position, set back within the footprint of the original house.

Architects bureau de change create a concrete waffle roof for a period residence
© Ben Blossom

Bureau de Change Director Billy Mavropoulos said:

We wanted to create a volume, whose form would be meaningful both inside and out. Inside, the motion of the roof slab breaks up the minimal surfaces of the living area. Outside, it creates appealing views through hollows and humps, which bring nature and concrete into immediate proximity.

Architects bureau de change create a concrete waffle roof for a period residence
© Ben Blossom

Although the living and kitchen areas are open plan, a selective palette of materials has
been used to visually define these spaces and create an atmospheric contrast. In the
living area, the materiality of the ceiling is echoed in concrete flooring, which stretches
to meet the threshold of the kitchen. There, it creeps up the face of the kitchen island
and turns back on itself to create a sculptural addition, in the form of a breakfast bar.

Architects bureau de change create a concrete waffle roof for a period residence
© Ben Blossom

The boundary of the kitchen is marked graphically, by a transition into rich monochromatic
blue that floods the surfaces of the space, including its resin floor. The concrete reinforcement mesh forces its way into the kitchen’s footprint, creating a pathway around which the resin floor wraps.

Architects bureau de change create a concrete waffle roof for a period residence
© Ben Blossom

Within the kitchen, monolithic volumes have a masking effect, concealing ample storage
on one side and a cloakroom on the other. This allows the monochrome quality of the
space to take the lead. Door edges are cleaved back to create geometric insets, which
form handles, and whose elongated shape are repeated on the ceiling to create embedded
lighting.

Architects bureau de change create a concrete waffle roof for a period residence
© Ben Blossom

Director Katerina Dionysopoulou comments:

The project was an opportunity to create a journey of unexpected moments, through balanced contrasts embedded in the narrative. The entrance hall, with its original tiling, gives way to an immersive grasp of solid colour within the kitchen. This then opens onto the more industrial living space, whose lightweight atmosphere opposes the weight of the concrete roof, enhancing its floating quality.

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