Bureau de Change Architects have reimagined the conventional terraced-house extension for a home in North London with an innovative addition that both celebrates and elevates the humble brick.

Katerina Dionysopoulou, Co-Founder of Bureau de Change explains: “Instead of the more expected glass structure, we looked to the brick and its inherent potential as a stackable module to create a far more sculptural material expression. Using bricks reclaimed from the fabric of the house, we exploited the rights of light diagram to create a staggered, extruded form that appears to melt away from the existing structure”.

Architecture & Interior design: Bureau de Change Architects, Photo © Ben Blossom

Architecture & Interior design: Bureau de Change Architects, Photo © Ben Blossom

“This rhythmic stepping generated by the brick is echoed throughout the interior, and is integrated in both the plan and section of the extension”.

Architecture & Interior design: Bureau de Change Architects, Photo © Ben Blossom

Architecture & Interior design: Bureau de Change Architects, Photo © Ben Blossom

Viewed from the terrace above, the form creates an attractive silhouette – a feature rare in more straightforward additions. Inside, Bureau de Change’s characteristic dramatization of space comes into play with a careful sequencing of spaces – transforming the expansive ground floor into a journey through carefully designed ambiences.

Architecture & Interior design: Bureau de Change Architects, Photo © Ben Blossom

Architecture & Interior design: Bureau de Change Architects, Photo © Ben Blossom

The standard layout has been flipped, with the kitchen taking its new place at the front of the house – an often underused, forgotten space. Here, the original features of the house are retained, emphasized by dark colors and material tones.

Architecture & Interior design: Bureau de Change Architects, Photo © Ben Blossom

“Moving onward, the spaces unfold in a sequence from dark to light – intensifying the bright, voluminous feel of the addition”.

Architecture & Interior design: Bureau de Change Architects, Photo © Ben Blossom

Architecture & Interior design: Bureau de Change Architects, Photo © Ben Blossom

In the center, the dining room is marked by a change in floor treatment: narrow timber planks with aligned seams transition between the smooth concrete of the kitchen and the roughly- grained concrete of the extension. A light-well ensures the full depth of the plan is bright, and provides a moment of pause within the interior.

Architecture & Interior design: Bureau de Change Architects, Photo © Ben Blossom

Architecture & Interior design: Bureau de Change Architects, Photo © Ben Blossom

“Here, where faceted glass meets stepped brick, the geometry of the concept is accentuated”.

Architecture & Interior design: Bureau de Change Architects, Photo © Ben Blossom

“We worked closely with the structural engineers to create an entirely column-free space’, explains co-founder Billy Mavropoulos. “The structure was achieved using laser-cut, double- direction, stepped beams that give the sensation that the brick addition is floating. This concept was integrated into the design in conjunction with the engineers from the start – working hand-in-hand to create the appearance of a first floor that is sunken into the extension”.

Architecture & Interior design: Bureau de Change Architects, Photo © Ben Blossom

For Bureau de Change, the notion of using a common-place material, such a brick, in an unexpected way is a motif that can be seen across much of their work. In the case of the Step House, the brick, left exposed inside and out, is celebrated in a way that respects the existing house while clearly departing from the traditional language of the historic architecture.

Ground floor plan, © Bureau de Change Architects

1st floor plan, © Bureau de Change Architects

2nd floor plan, © Bureau de Change Architects

West elevation, © Bureau de Change Architects

Section A, © Bureau de Change Architects

Section B, © Bureau de Change Architects

Section detail, © Bureau de Change Architects

Section detail, © Bureau de Change Architects

About Bureau de Change Architects:

Bureau de Change is an award winning architecture practice founded by Katerina Dionysopoulou and Billy Mavropoulos. Its work is a direct product of the founders’ upbringing, passions and experiences – combining the pragmatism and formality of their architectural training with a desire to bring a sense of theatre, playfulness and innovation to the design of spaces, products and environments. The result is a studio where rigorous thinking and analysis are brought to life through prototyping, testing and making.

Facts & Credits:

Project title: Step House, Typology: Residential Extension, Location: North London – UK, Architecture & Interior design: Bureau de Change Architects, Text description: Bureau de Change Architects, Photography: Ben Blossom

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