Burrard House

Burrard House makes the most of an unpromising plot, turning a typical Victorian terrace with constrained outdoor space into a light filled family home that connects with greenery on more than one level. The clients had moved closer in to shorten commutes and protect family time, which meant taking on a smaller house and asking the architect to find openness without sacrificing function.

A side infill extension introduces a continuous ribbon of glass that runs along the side return and turns up the rear elevation, wrapping a small first floor niche. Daylight increases dramatically and floor area grows across two storeys, while the glazing reads as a clear seam between the original house and the new insertion.

Internally the spine wall has been repositioned to gather utility spaces at the centre of the plan. Losing a pokey rear reception room makes way for a more generous front reception and an open plan kitchen dining at the back. Clean lines and built in storage stretch the perceived volume further. The rear extension settles into the garden, with a trampoline sunk into the lawn to keep the view uncluttered.

On the first floor the children's bedrooms take a playful turn through custom joinery, and a full height window to the rear bedroom has become a quiet surprise for the parents. A loft conversion takes advantage of the flat roof over the rear closet wing, where a stepped terrace doubles as a series of planters. The master suite opens onto this new terrace through large windows, and the built in planters soften the threshold between inside and out while giving back garden space lost to the extension.

Architect of record: Paul Archer Design. Structural engineering: TALL consulting structural engineers. Photography: Ben Blossom.