DA Residence

A striking steel clad extension that naturally weathers and blends into its surroundings has completed in Walthamstow, North London​. Designed for a young family by architects deDraft, the result is a stand-out but sensitive addition to the property, providing over 24sqm of extra space at the cost of £60,000.

With both clients working in the creative industries they were clear to deDraft that any rooftop intervention must offer a unique, yet contextual addition to the generic ‘loft company conversion’ and integrate internally with the reinforced concrete structure of the original property.

Made from weathering-steel, the material was chosen for it’s raw expressive aesthetic and textural similarity to its area and the original 1950s flat. Each steel panel was folded, installed and adjusted to achieve tight, sharp joints before being finally reinstalled and bonded to a lightweight timber sub-frame. This challenging process concealed each cumbersome fixing of the cladding panels creating a sleek finish to the exterior, unusual for the material.

The cladding will naturally weather and patinate over time to a darker, more burnished appearance, not only further protecting the exterior from the elements but blending in with it’s environment amongst the retained red concrete roof tiles and deep red brickwork of adjacent properties.

Substantial natural light has been brought in the property without reducing privacy. This was achieved through construction of several rooflights, a full-height vertical slot installed alongside the staircase and glass sliding doors for the master bedroom to take in views of nearby Lloyd Park.

The modernist feel of the home and interiors is a nod to the flat’s origins, being built during the 1950s to replace those destroyed by bombing from World War 2. The local area is part of the pioneering Warner Estate, built over the late 19th and early 20th Century in several parts of Waltham Forest.