Riach Architects have recently completed the renovation and extension of a four storey Victorian townhouse located in the North Oxford Victorian Conservation Area in the United Kingdom. Trinity Hall was in a bad state of disrepair as it had been sub-divided into several student flats. The property had suffered badly through lack of maintenance and student occupancy.  The clients, who were relocating to Oxford, purchased this house and wished to create a new family home.

The ambitious project has involved a comprehensive refurbishment as well as providing considerable additional space to the property through the creation of a contemporary extension to the existing half basement and adding a further basement level below this extension.  Riach Architects have brought to life the challenging design brief, with elegant engineering solutions required to create the large basement room in the garden of this semi-detached property.

Internally the historic part of the house has been carefully restored and refurbished with a subtle merging of traditional and contemporary detailing. The house has also undertaken a dramatic transformation with structural remodeling used to adapt the house to fit with the demands of modern living.

A more modern approach is taken internally with micro-concrete flooring, large glazed screens and contemporary fittings used to reflect the transition into the new part of the house.  The new family room in the extension features a Swiss “Sky-Frame” glazed sliding door system which has completely concealed framing. This offers large amounts of natural light into the space as well as creating a link between the internal and external space.

Providing a pleasant outlook from the rear of the existing house the extension features a landscaped, “green” roof surrounded by large rooflights and zinc eaves. Portland Stone is used to clad the extension in order to create a visual reference between the addition and the historic stone detailing of the house.

Photos: Simon Maxwell