This single storey rear extension to a three storey victorian semi is about to go into planning. We like the fact its not all 'slidy foldy' and maintains the corner of the room whilst still providing a strong connection with the garden.
The horizontal glazing transom becomes a shelf for display of the owner's things with the backdrop of the garden and rainwater is discharged into a planter via an ornate rain chain. A planter at the other end of the terrace and a barbecue plinth extending into the garden mediate between the pastoral world of the garden and the raised level of the house.
We were looking at the work of Sverre Fehn during the design development and particularly the Villa a Norrkoping Sweden 1963-64. Images here and here
In this extraordinary house he makes a window as something between building envelope, built-in furniture and floating picture frame.
The Fisher House 1960-67 by Louis Kahn also does a similar thing and also incorporates a window seat.
Both windows place objects and trinkets belonging to the occupants at the threshold between the interior of the home and the world outside just like any window cill but emphatically so. This enables the history and personality of the occupant to become part of the building envelope, both as a public declaration of their life and interests and also mediating the external world to the interior through their stuff - reinforcing their place in the world.
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