Space is hard to come by, especially in London. On a landlocked site in Primrose Hill surrounded by Victorian homes and a railway line, Patalab Architecture transformed a 60-year-old industrial compound into a spacious, contemporary residence. The site, which once housed a mechanic’s garage and office, now contains a three-bedroom house and two one-bedroom apartments.

Patalab united the commercial compound’s disparate forms, resurfacing them in bronze-glazed bricks and adorning each of the development’s facades with an asymmetrical gable. This focus on unity carried over to the interior, where floor slabs, ceilings, and walls were all relocated to create a spacious, open-plan living area. The net result is a contemporary house that acknowledges and enhances its commercial history.