C A R LIS LE LA N E LO F T S , W - Pringle | Richards | Sharratt

CARLISLE LANE LOFTS, WATERLOO, LONDON

Left: groundfloor plan
Right: firstfloor plan
The development consists of four one-bedroom lofts on two floors,
built entirely of prefabricated lightweight structural timber panels,
on a very tight urban site next to a railway viaduct at Waterloo.
Two of the lofts are 45 m 2 and two are 35 m 2 – the site area is 160
m 2 . Two lofts are intended for the client’s family, who have two
university-aged young adults and the remaining two to be sold
or let to young people about to take a step onto the first rung of
the property ladder. There was also a desire to use sustainable
materials from renewable sources (all timber products) and wellinsulated
and energy-efficient construction. The building was
highly prefabricated in order to reduce construction times.
The site was previously occupied by a single storey warehouse,
which covered the whole plot. This had proved difficult to let over
recent years, because of poor vehicle access from the narrow lane.
After extensive negotiations, planning consent was granted for
four residential units, the case being helped by the poor viability
of the existing warehouse. The street frontage is only 7 metres
wide and the site stretches 20 metres back from Carlisle Lane.
The planning concept was to develop the lofts in a long, thin
strip on two storeys on one half of the site and an internal
courtyard along the other half, which would provide an entrance
court and a garden for the lofts. This was partly driven by the fact
that three of the boundary walls are party walls and new window
frontage could only be created within the site itself, pulling back
from the rear gardens of the shops on Westminster Bridge Road.
The construction concept was to build a new lightweight
structure supported on a reinforced raft cast on the existing
ground slab, because of poor ground conditions (former marsh
and fill), to avoid piling or more substantial foundations. All the
existing party walls were retained, with three of them providing
‘free’, fire-resistant, weather-resistant, rendered party walls up to
4 metres in height. The new structure is built as a loose fit, freestanding
two-storey timber frame within this shell, rising 1.2
metres above the existing parapet.
Interior views,
above: loft 4, below: loft 2
Left: axonometric view
showing north elevation
overlooking courtyard garden

Above: courtyard garden view
with staircase access to lofts
3 and 4
Pringle + Richards LLP
160 m 2
£350,000
2004-2005
Wood Award Commendation
(Private Category) 2005
PRINGLE RICHARDS SHARRATT ARCHITECTS Studio 11 Canterbury Court Kennington Park 1 Brixton Road London SW9 6DE T +44 (0)20 7793 2828 F +44 (0)20 7793 2829 mailbox@prsarchitects.com www.prsarchitects.com