Contemporary and sustainable architecture practice CaSA have cleverly remodelled an original 1960s property with a focus on affordable and future-proofed solutions, creating an intelligently refurbished family home which was recently announced as the 2022 Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) South West Building of the Year.

In a time where it is widely considered that the renovation of poor-quality housing across the UK should be a priority, Great Brockeridge offers a model for innovative design thinking. As their name suggests, the practice have over 16 years experience in creating Contemporary and Sustainable Architecture, aka CaSA, merging contemporary design with sustainable construction to create homes that belong, that people respond to, and that people want to keep.

CaSA’s approach for the extension and renovation of this property not only greatly improves the exterior of a dated 1960s home, they also improved the energy performance of the building, retaining the embodied carbon in the existing house and transforming the appearance, spatial quality and living space of the original home.

Intelligent Design

“Great Brockeridge is an intelligent, exemplar refurbishment demonstrating how existing building stock may be retained, renewed, and upgraded through intelligent design, and an active and engaged client and design team.” explains RIBA judge Fergus Feilden.

A truly sustainable architecture is one that endures independently of changing time and fashion. CaSA approach sustainable design holistically at the start of the process and weave it through all aspects of the design; from the best placement of a building on a site, through to the technicalities of the type of heating system used. This attention to detail enables CaSA to deliver buildings that are warm, well-ventilated, flooded with natural light and incredibly efficient to run; in short, delightful spaces to be in.

The key challenge of this renovation project was to maximise the sustainability improvements within the limitations of the client’s budget. Through simple alterations, careful detailing and the considered specification of economic material choices, the building’s performance was drastically improved.

Reducing Waste

“We didn’t want to knock the house down and start again” explains homeowner Simon Coulson. “I felt a little bit aggrieved, that you could knock the house down and start again, and not pay VAT, and save yourself 20% of the cost, but if you want to go to all the effort and all the hassle and accept all of the compromise that comes with retrofitting a house you somehow have to pay 20% more for the privilege. If the government is truly looking to push a low-carbon future, we can’t just be knocking down buildings every time we are unhappy with the aesthetics of them.”

Starting again can cost the same overall, but you achieve a home that from a practical living point of view would have been a better solution. You accept a lot of compromises have to be baked into the design and working with the old, imperfect, fabric of the building make things more difficult but it is the right way to reduce waste.

“I feel passionately about this, the government should be supporting building companies and individuals looking to make their homes more energy efficient” explains Coulson. “The VAT relief on new builds doesn’t really match up with what we’re trying to achieve as a society which is to reduce waste and reduce emissions. The way to achieve this is to upgrade and improve our existing building stock by making it energy efficient.  You can do that relatively quickly, relatively cheaply without wasting a lot of material along the way.”

Embodied Carbon

“Our initial proposal aimed to retain as much of the existing building as possible, reducing the materials required and therefore limiting the embodied carbon of the redevelopment,” explains CaSA director Adam Dennes. “Though constrained by a modest budget, we did not hold back the creative design of dramatic contemporary spaces and utilised the opportunities for externally insulating and recladding to create a striking contemporary exterior.”

“Through minimal intervention the layout, light, and comfort levels of the home have been greatly improved to reach modern living standards, and ensure a renewed life for this once neglected home. Contemporary updates were made, which enabled the substantial improvement of the thermal performance of the building fabric, future proofing the existing poor-quality home for years to come.”

Landscape Contraints

Additional constraints of the redevelopment project came not from the local planning restrictions themselves, but from the surrounding neighbourhood context. The steep topography of the road, and diverse makeup of the surrounding properties, created a complex setting for the narrow plot. CaSA’s design for the building’s two extensions respond sensitively to the neighbouring properties, slotting into the varied house typology of the street, and incorporating falling eaves to the rear to reduce overshadowing of the north facing gardens.

Informed by these constraints, the design retains as much of the home as possible, adding two carefully placed extensions, and recladding the external fabric of the building. In doing so, CaSA has significantly improved the appearance, performance, and layout of the original property, incorporating a remodelling of the front elevation and an extension of the upper ground floor at the rear, to increase the roof pitch and add accommodation in the attic.

A bay was then added to the front elevation to provide further articulation, with a pitched roof that ensures the new front eaves line is set at the same level as the existing eaves, and steps down with the topography of the road.

Thermal Performance

The entire building has been reclad using materials that substantially improve the thermal performance of the house. Drawing inspiration from the existing Staffordshire blue bricks on the lower floor – the only element of the existing façade that has been retained – the roof and upper walls have been clad in matching Staffordshire blue and plain black clay tiles to add relief, texture and personality to the façade. The vertical hung tiles, along with a new render coating to the existing structure, allow the existing walls to be externally insulated.

All of the property’s windows were replaced with aluminium composite triple glazed casements which improve thermal energy performance. Throughout the renovation process the airtightness of the dwelling was also carefully considered, with a breathable membrane installed throughout.

At the rear, the new pitched roof hits the oblique angle generated by the building line to create a falling eaves line which, in combination with the A-symmetrical hip, generates an intriguing roof geometry reflected internally, flooding the interior with light through carefully located skylights to reach the deepest internal spaces. This has allowed CaSA to deliver on one of the client’s most crucial requirements; creating a light, open living space that flows into the garden, becoming the focal point of the family home.

The remodelled roof and new build walls are all designed to perform above current building regulations, using highly insulated timber frames constructed with FSC sustainably-sourced timber.

Warm Interior, Austere Exterior

Internally, a warm and tactile material palette lends contrast to the austere exterior appearance, while an efficient use of space accommodates dogs, children, bikes and storage,  through bespoke, prefabricated inbuilt joinery. A dramatic new timber staircase forms a beautiful and sinuous piece of carpentry at the heart of the house, stretching three storeys and balancing sweeping curves with precision connection details.

The whole piece is constructed from planed Ash and ash-veneered birch, complemented by a brass handrail with connecting brass dowels supporting the balustrades. Designed with the help of parametric design and delivered with the precision of CNC (computer numerical control) technology, the weight and balance of the stair feels carefully judged and responds to a light touch across the rest of the project.

“We believe this house is an exceptional example which is attainable by many, not just a few,” says Dennes. “We hope that Great Brockeridge will inspire innovative energy-saving renovation projects across the UK, reimagining what can be achieved through sensitive interventions and creative design. Sat within a diverse array of properties displaying a range of periods, sizes and materials Great Brockeridge holds its own.”