Warrington Crescent
This project centres on the careful refurbishment and energy retrofit of a Grade II listed flat located within the Maida Vale Conservation Area of London.
The work reorganises the layout to suit contemporary living, while also repairing the building’s historic fabric inside and out. It aims to give a European Mediterranean feel to a very London Victorian space: with the introduction of zellige tiles stored for 20 years, ‘tomettes’ tiles. Second-hand furniture and details like door handles are coordinated with repaired British mouldings and pine flooring to create an hybrid aesthetic.
Timber joists, floors and sash windows are meticulously restored, while the external masonry walls now insulated using hempcrete and lime. This is a low-impact approach that allows the structure to regulate air and vapour exchanges between the inside and outside while reducing carbon emissions and construction costs.
Throughout the project, natural materials were favoured. Hempcrete, lime and timber for the new elements are combined with non-toxic finishes such as clay paint helping to regulate humidity and improve indoor air quality. The use of plastic and plasterboard was deliberately reduced in favour of more sustainable alternatives when possible.
The refurbishment aims to future-proof the flat against the pressures of climate change over the next half-century, particularly the urban heat island effect in West London.
A reconfigured bathroom now doubles as a cool room during summer heatwaves, while the reinstated timber windows and chimney vents restore natural ventilation.
© Photographs Rachel Ferriman
‣ Client: Private
Budget £205,000.00
Location: London, UK
Status: Listed Building Grade II
Structural Engineer: Webb Yates Engineers
Contractor: Hut & Blom
Completion: November 2024
Stage: Built