Petronella House involves the refurbishment and extension of a substantial Victorian villa in a Sheffield conservation area.
The client understood the importance of the building and wanted the “house to re-emerge from years of under-appreciation”. The resulting project elevates the original house, blurring the boundaries between the original house and new additions as an exemplar of contemporary conservation, restoration and refurbishment. New additions are unashamedly contemporary, alterations seamlessly work with the language of the original architecture and new energy conservation measures are invisibly integrated throughout the house.
The house had undergone a major refurbishment in the 1970’s. Many of those changes were of their time and unsympathetic to the character of the original building. However, many of these interventions, such as to the windows, were largely cosmetic and reversible. Through careful research and working closely with the client, we found much of the original material had been kept in basements and outhouses, giving us vital clues to what the original building looked like. During the 1990’s a large glasshouse had been added to the rear of the property. As with most structures of this type, it was either too hot or cold and added little useful living space.
The key drivers for change were to keep and restore this significant Victorian villa and make it fit for modern family living. The house was cold and draughty throughout. The heating systems were at the end of their life and so inefficient that even at full capacity, they were unable to heat the house in the depths of winter.
The house should be allowed to re-emerge from years of under-appreciation.
The desire to reuse and reclaim as much material as possible on site has delivered a more sustainable project. Stone has been reused from demolitions for either the new stone walls or throughout the significant landscape works. The extension has been designed with high levels of insulation and solar reflective coating used to all glass, creating a stable temperature throughout the year.
We made a single radical intervention at each level of the house. At ground floor, the old glass house has been removed and replaced with a large kitchen and dining room. The architecture of this space is overtly contemporary and turns the main axis of the house towards the garden and previously underutilised rear courtyard. The space is contained by a multifaceted copper clad shell that picks up on the colours and hues of the adjacent copper beech tree.
At first floor, the removal of the former stairs have made way to two new ensuite spaces and an enlarged principal bedroom with adjoining bathroom. A new timber lined ‘lozenge’ forms wardrobe space and becomes a space divider between bedroom and bathroom.
At attic level we removed an ensuite bathroom and opened up the house with a new stair that appears to hover in space. A new large rooflight drops light deep into the heart of the house. The stair is of similar proportion to the main house stair and its material quality is derived from the metalwork of the original handrails.
Across the courtyard, the coach house has also been restored and converted to ancillary accommodation, given the same love and attention as the main house. The wider landscape has been re-envisioned, the drive entrance relocated to the top of the site, removing large areas of tarmac to create a stepped cobble path through a new woodland border. Overall the transformation of the site is radical but somehow feels as if it has always been this way.