OB Architecture is an award winning RIBA Chartered Architecture studio specialising in the design and construction of contemporary homes across England and Wales.
Alongside residential projects, the practice is experienced in a wide range of building types including office, retail and mixed use.
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A 1930s house in Winchester with a dramatic glazed living, kitchen and dining space. Together with its extensive rear garden it has been transformed into a modern family home.
The Client’s brief was to extend and remodel the house at ground and first floor to provide a light filled kitchen dining space connected to a vibrant family room that opens out to maximize the potential of the large garden. The design seeks to reconcile the individual elements of the house by creating a singular elegant form. At first floor a new bedroom with ensuite is created.
Other additions include the insertion of oak timber trusses and an oak-sliding wall, which links the kitchen dining space with a day room. The works are complimented by a landscaped garden comprising swimming pool, pergola, timber decking and feature planting.
The architects specified a simple palette of materials including oak, limestone and off-white painted steelwork to give warmth and intimacy to the spaces. The use of stone and timber is continued externally to mediate between inside and outside.
The glazed extension uses structural glass supported from L-shaped steel box sections and incorporates large rooflights to bring light deep into the interior.
Photography by Martin Gardner
We were invited to design and deliver the refurbishment of a derelict workshop building in Hampshire to provide a headquarters for a British automotive company specialising in the servicing, restoration and racing of both modern and historic cars.
The clean and muted environment of the workshop provides a calm backdrop for the colourful array of supercars. Storage and parts are positioned on raised mezzanine areas to the side leaving a large double height area in the centre. A metal stair with cantilevered treads leads up to a break-out area at first floor, overlooking the workshop through a veil of timber louvers.
Photography: Martin Gardner
The brief required a contemporary house in a wonderful location overlooking the sea.
The site presented us with a few challenges. First of all, it was set between 2 traditional, low lying thatched cottages identified as being of architectural significance. Secondly, the views out to sea were only achievable at first floor level, and thirdly, the front, less-private side to the plot faced south meaning there would be a conflict between the road and the proposed garden that would front onto it.
We developed a concept of 4 interlocking forms that would give the accommodation required, whilst respecting the scale of the cottages either side and the views they provided to the village. We proposed a long linear timber clad form at first floor, set above a light weight glazed section below, and a white rendered wing to the side with a projecting garage at the end to create a welcoming entrance courtyard. The composition is ‘anchored’ to the site by a double height entrance hall that is clad on the outside in dark grey zinc.
The walls were heavily insulated and sealed to create a highly efficient super structure. An air source heat pump provides the heating and hot water and a mechanical ventilation and heat recovery system throughout the house recovers the heat from the kitchen and bathrooms to provide warm fresh air in the winter months.
The extensive areas of glazing give a constant reminder of the dramatic and ever changing weather in this exposed location: the dappled sunlight breaks through the trees into the kitchen in the morning; the rain showers down on the large rooflights over the dining area during the day; and the sun sets over the sea in the evening, filling the living area with an orange glow captured by the large framed window to the west.
Photography by Martin Gardner
The brief required a large contemporary family house that would take advantage of the lovely views over the fields and the Solent beyond.
The site lies within an Area of Special Character that is made up of predominantly traditional pitched roof houses, so the design of the new house had to mediate between the clients desire for a contemporary house and the planners requirements for a pitched roof form. The design also had to appear modest from the front to respect the 2 storey properties either side.
The resultant form is a house that appears as 2 storeys from the front, but whose roof rises up to 3 storeys at the rear to give expansive open views across the fields. The pitched roof and large chimney to the side echo the character of the other buildings along the road, but is given a contemporary feel with the use of timber, render, a metal roof and large glazed openings.
Photography by Martin Gardner
OB Architecture were invited to extend, remodel and entirely refurbish a turn of the century Victorian villa in Surrey for a young couple and their 2 girls.
Sitting on a wonderful 2 acre plot in a Conservation Area, the house had suffered from a number of insensitive alterations and extensions that had eroded the character of the original house. The connection with the garden had been lost and the house had started to fall into a state of disrepair.
We explored how we could work with the existing house to reinstate its original character, yet extend it and reconfigure it in a way that would preserve the character whilst making it more practical for modern family living.
A 2 storey extension sits to the side of the house, separated from the original house by a frameless glazed link, this gesture allowing the original form of the house to be clearly perceived against the new extension.
To the front, the extension appears traditional with only the glazed link suggesting something more unexpected beyond its solid masonry walls. Overlooking the garden, the extension opens out with large areas of glazing, with a master ensuite at first floor and a cosy sitting room at ground floor, separated from the study by a wood burning stove. A large chimney 'anchors' the composition to the site and references the rhythmical array of chimneys and flues that line the street.
The cramped kitchen is replaced a with a large open plan kitchen/dining area that extends into the garden with a glazed roof and a wide panel of bi-folding doors. The doors open out to a new raised terrace overlooking the garden.
The roof is retiled in slate and the crumbling rendered facade is over-clad in an insulated render system providing a crisp new warm 'jacket' to the house.
Photography by Martin Gardner
OB Architecture were appointed to complete the extension and alterations to Wayside a large private house set in an approximately 1 acre of garden and mature landscape.
The house, built in the 1930’s required a fresh approach to unlock its potential and provide a modern family home. Key to the works was the change in location of the principle access and the remodelling of the entrance. This opened up a more logic sequence of spaces from the loggia, entrance hall, thorough to the kitchen; dining & open plan living area.
Augmenting the refurbishment of the ground floor rooms was a landscape strategy to open up the spaces to create a seamless link from inside to outside. The landscape design utilises a natural pallet of materials to compliment the house and includes an impressive external swimming pool.
As well as the principle rooms OB Architecture undersaw the design and refurbishment of a new guest bathroom, family bathroom, master bedroom ensuite and children’s bedrooms.
Photography by Martin Gardner
Set on an unassuming narrow plot within the Metropolitan Green Belt south of London, The Wrap House is a modern 200m2, 2 storey family home overlooking the open fields of Biggin Hill Airport.
The house comprises of 2 long 'wrapping' elements that stretch down the narrow site; the white rendered 'wraps' contain all the living and sleeping accommodation and are infilled with cedar panels and large expanses of glazing at each end. Set between these 'wrapping' elements is a double height glazed circulation atrium that runs through the entire length of the house linking all the spaces together and creating a visual connection between the front and the back of the house. The glazed atrium brings light deep into the house and mitigates against the east-west orientation of the plot, ensuring the living spaces are filled with natural light all throughout the day.
A study and kitchen is located at the front of the house with the dining area and a large double height living room at the rear overlooking the garden. At first floor 2 bedrooms are located at the front with the master bedroom and ensuite to the rear.
The house replaces a small, tired 1950s bungalow which sat amongst a row of equally undistinguished single storey properties. This posed the first of many problems in that the local planning authority would only allow for a 10% increase in size over the existing house. After much negotiation we eventually received permission for a circa 40% increase by using a hypothetical permitted development exercise showing how the existing house could be extended without planning permission.
The replacement house also had to respect the heights of the surrounding bungalows; by manipulating the levels and stepping the building down, in spite of being a storey higher than the neighbouring properties, the flat roof parapet levels sit below the ridge lines of the adjoining houses.
The house was constructed for a relatively modest £1,500/m2, challenging the notion that bespoke modern houses cost from £2,000/m2 upwards.
The Wrap House has featured on the More4 series 'Building the Dream': Series 3 Episode 2: Kent.
Photography: Martin Gardner
Set within the Pantiles Conservation area in Tunbridge Wells, this highly contemporary 3 storey house replaces a modest 1960s bungalow. Set against the backdrop of Victorian and Edwardian houses, the white rendered modernist house has been designed to rest discretely in the site, with a 2 storey elevation facing the road and a 3 storey stepped facade to the rear. A series of roof terraces at the back open out to a contemporary landscaped garden providing a strong connection between the inside spaces and the outside spaces.
The main living spaces are located on the ground floor. The large open plan kitchen/living/dining area opens out to 2 raised terraces. Further reception and bed spaces are located at lower ground floor, with a master bedroom and 2 more bedrooms at first floor.
A highly insulated timber ground and first floor superstructure sits on top of an innovative waterproofed
concrete basement structure.
Warwick Park has been featured in Self Build and Design magazine. Read the article here.
Photography: Steve Taylor
Last four photos in the slideshow on the right by Olly Bray.
A four storey residential development in the centre of Croydon comprising of 7 no 2/3 bed apartments.
Status: on site
Redevelopment of a brownfield site to create a pair of contemporary 'vernacular' semi-detached houses looking out over the open fields of the South Downs.
Status: planning approval
Three houses set within the leafy environs of Stockbridge Road in Winchester.
Status: on site
This 5 storey Grade II Listed townhouse forms part of a historic terrace of houses fronting Kensington High Street.
The project encompasses the complete renovation and refurbishment of the property, including the design and construction of a highly contemporary glazed rear extension.
Extensive discussions were had with the Conservation Officer to negotiate the removal of certain parts of the original building fabric to enable the internal spaces to become more open plan and ‘fluid’.
Historic features of the house are retained throughout and are contrasted and complemented by the use of textured contemporary materials including engineered parquet flooring and Porcelin tiles. Extensive bespoke joinery has been proposed for the living spaces and
bedrooms; the main shelving unit in the living room is formed from dark cherry wood and patinated metal with integral lighting to highlight the contrasting materials.
Underfloor heating has been installed throughout the property with air conditioning units discretely integrated in the joinery units to provide cooling in the summer months.
