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London Open House is our favourite Architecture festival in the world and it starts this week!

We love it because it features zero special effects, zero narrative, symbols, concepts, metaphors, sarcasm and very little postmodernism. Instead, it shows buildings, which should be almost all architecture is about. The elementary idea of the festival is to open buildings up to the public, that are usually closed – and this amazingly includes private homes, which is a rarity. I urge everyone to check the website which lists and maps the open buildings this year: as there are several gems, including 10 Downing Street, Walter Segal’s houses, Dennis Lasdun’s Royal College of Physicians, 6a Architects’ new project in Holborn, Chiswick House and Cafe (I will follow with a post of my favourites) and two of our projects.

Since 2017 we have taken part in every festival with at least one of our projects. It’s an enjoyable and revealing experience for me. I get to meet several people with different interests in architecture or construction, or human behaviour. And it is revealing because people see and think differently and will always give me clever insights into how a space we designed can be perceived. For obvious reasons, we did not take part last year, but we are back this year with two projects we can’t wait to share.

On September 4th and 5th, from 10am to 4pm, we will be at The Sponge, 50 Keslake Road NW6 6DG.

On September 11th and 12th (the following weekend), we will be at The House for a Cellist,10 Studd Street, N1 0QJ. This project has only just been completed so we do not have professional photos to share yet, for full event details please visit – you can combine this visit with a visit to Waugh Thistleton’s carbon neutral building nearby.

We look forward to seeing you at the Open House Festival.

First impressions from our trip to Cornwall.

Western Cornwall is beautiful. It is sparsely populated by humans and densely populated by sea-gulls; in August 2021, most areas were densely inhabited by tourists, 70% of whom were holding a beer.

Western Cornwall is a diffused city inside a prodigious natural park touched by two different seas; it also comprises the Westernmost point in England. The knowledge of being at the end of the land is inexplicably thrilling; an ever-changing sky with terrible sun rays jumping up and down the horizon definitely contributes to the feeling (also a constant unease due to the cold wind in August, which is always surprising to an Italian).

St Ives has probably the highest concentration of sea-gulls, tourists, cuteness and some degrees of magic. The latter is to be found without fault in the town’s two patches of landscape. The Island is the peninsula separating the two sections of the city. Stepping up from the inevitable parking lot, you encounter silence; a few more steps, and you experience the breathtaking views, the wind, flocks of tiny birds jumping one around and giving the occasional spin around the landmarks.

The second is Barbara Hepworth’s Garden. Tucked away in a quiet street is Barbara Hepworth’s studio. The visitor climbs a flight of stairs to an exhibition room and then out to the garden at first-floor level. I will avoid commenting on the beauty and power of the works of art or the artist’s greatness. I was drawn to two small workshops where Hepworth worked, preserved in a moment in time and that day lit by the most ethereal light (polycarbonate roof lights). I have tried to capture the garden and one of the studios in the short video below.

I like to reference Alain de Botton’s suggestions in The Architecture of Happiness.

“A bright morning in the Tate Gallery St Ives, Cornwall. On a plinth sits a marble sculpture by Barbara Hepworth first exhibited in 1936. Although it is unclear what exactly these three stones might mean or represent – a mystery reflected in their reticent title, Two Segments and a Sphere – they nevertheless manage to arrest and reward our gaze. Their interest centres on the opposition between the ball and the semicircular wedge on which it rests. The ball looks unstable and energetic; we sense how keenly it wants to roll down the segment’s leading edge and bowl across the room. By contrast with this impulsiveness, the accompanying wedge conveys maturity and stability: it seems content to nurse gently from side to side, taming the recklessness of its charge. In viewing the piece, we are witness to a tender and playful relationship, rendered majestic through the primordial medium of polished white marble. In an essay on Hepworth the psychoanalytic critic Adrian Stokes attempted to analyse the power of this apparently simple work. He arrived at a compelling conclusion. If the sculpture touches us, he ventured, it may be because we unconsciously understand it as a family portrait. The mobility and chubby fullness of the sphere suddenly suggests to us a wiggling fat-cheeked baby, while the rocking ample forms of the segment have echoes of a calm, indulgent, broad hipped mother. We dimly apprehend in the whole a central theme of our lives. We send a parable in stone about motherly love.

Stokes’s argument directs us to two ideas. First, that it doesn’t take much for us to interpret an object as a human or animal figure. A piece of stone can have no legs, eyes, ears, or almost any of the features associated with a living thing; it need have only the merest hint of a maternal thigh or a babyish cheek and we will start to read it as a character. Thanks to this projective proclivity, we can end up as moved by a Hepworth sculpture, as we are by a more literal picture of maternal tenderness, for to our inner eyes, there need to be no difference between the expressive capacity of a representational painting and that of an arrangement of stones.

Secondly, our reasons for liking abstract sculptures, and by extension tables and columns, are not in the end so far removed from our reasons for honouring representational scenes. We call works in both genres beautiful when they succeed in evoking what seem to us the most attractive, significant attributes of human beings and animals.

The Architecture of Happiness

Page 83

Further comments on St Ives:

1. Cars should not be allowed so far into the city centre. There are cars everywhere, and parking is the most sought after real estate, but there must be a better way.
2. I feel like a reactionary, but I would do away with the arcades.
3. No beers on beaches before 10am unless it’s mine.

Your neighbour can be your biggest ally in delivering the project you want!

If you are looking to building a side extension (or side return) to your property, the party wall matters should be at the top of your priorities. In most cases, you will be effectively building a new wall that your neighbours will be looking at for a long time, and creating a lot of disruption during the works. It is crucial to keep them informed of what is happening at the earliest possible stages. Furthermore, your neighbour might be able to collaborate with you, helping you get the project you really want.

Typically, if there is a fence between the two gardens, the new extension flank wall will be built up to the fence (let’s call you Number 25). In some cases, the owner of the adjoining plot (let’s call them Number 27) may agree to the wall being constructed astride the boundary in exchange for the right to use the wall at a later stage for their own extension. In this case, No.25 would pay for the wall, foundations and gutter. The slight variation to this – which is particularly pertinent in London – is where there is an existing party fence wall between the gardens. In which case the Party Wall etc Act 1996 enables/requires this wall to be raised or rebuilt astride the boundary line in the same position. This scenario also lets no 27 incorporate the wall into their extension at a future date.

Advantages of building astride of the boundary

By building astride the boundary, your neighbour (Number 27) has acquired the right to use the wall. The advantages are multiple:

1. When Number 27 decides to use the wall, they will pay 50% of the wall and foundations’ cost back to you when they make use of the wall. In other words, the two neighbours share the cost of the wall rather than paying twice for the same construction element.
2. Furthermore, both properties will benefit from reducing the thickness of the construction along the boundary. A single party wall will measure about 350mm in thickness, which is approximately 130mm wider than the typical brick boundary wall that usually separates properties. In the region of 750mm thickness, a double party wall will reduce the width of both properties by 180mm on each side.
3. A party wall astride of the boundary will be in continuity with the existing wall separating the two properties, and will be more consistent with the construction of the house. This will result in a simpler structure and more streamlined interiors.
4. It is possible to have more say over the height and shape of the wall. The planning department mostly decides on this matter, but two neighbours who agree on the design of their extension can submit a joint application, which will allow more freedom on the height and shape of the party wall.
5. A single party wall is much easier to build. This is particularly useful to the neighbour that is not yet extending their house. Once the extension flank wall is built inside the building owner’s plot, the adjoining owner will have to agree and solve a few construction issues when erecting their own wall. For example:
   1. Sectional hit and miss bay foundations may be required.
   2. A weatherproofing flashing detail at roof level.
   3. Some form of weatherproofing seal at the junction of the two walls
   4. The adjoining owner will likely need to install a slip membrane between the building owner’s existing foundations and their proposed foundations.

Disadvantages:

1. In the short term, the adjoining owner will lose about 100mm of garden space and allow foundations to run even further inside the plot.
2. A few design considerations will be needed for both properties. The adjoining owner will be encouraged to think about their extension, and this may take some time.
3. The building owner will need to consider more items and factor in more time when planning the extension. The design in the first stages becomes a bit more complex.

Of course both parties should consider both options carefully, but my advise is usually to work in collaboration with your neighbour to try and figure out a way of sharing this little bit of responsibility and design, to gain considerable advantages in the long run for you both.

If you need to discuss party wall matters, we recommend you get in touch with CWC Party Walls, who have helped us on several projects in the past five years.

Note: This post was updated in May 2022 to pick up a few of CWC’s comments and suggestions.

In this blog post we will focus on how to really understand your project budget, to help you find the right balance between your brief and budget, helping you produce an accurate description of the works and how to pay for them.

We always suggest starting with a very loose definition of the brief: to describe the needs rather than the solutions. This will allow us to begin with first principles and challenge your assumptions on the space you know so well.

There will inevitably be a tension between brief and budget, which should be addressed early on. We recommend the first thing that needs to be defined is the project budget, as different factors will have various interpretations. For example your builders will refer to the works’ net cost (which is their part of the works), excluding VAT, finishes, fees, fittings. Consultants, including architects, will often refer to net construction cost (excluding VAT and fees.)

You will need to know the ‘real’ cost, so you can know how much money will be needed each month to pay for the work. We agree with clients, we always try to clarify the total costs, so there are no unexpected surprises, and always work hard to reduce the gap between brief and budget.

When setting the budget, we suggest that you think of a sum that you are comfortable investing in your project. The construction process can be stressful, and we should avoid adding additional pressure to financial restrictions. It is also helpful to keep at the back of your mind (but not too far) a 5% contingency to cover unexpected expenses.

All the costs at a glance

Let’s assume we are discussing a £100k project. The builder will think you have £100k + VAT to spend on the works. On top of that, you should have at least £20k for finishes and fittings, and £18k for fees. Finally, let’s assume a 4% contingency (you decide at some stage that you want to paint an extra couple of rooms). If the project were a loft conversion and interior refurbishment work, the money leaving your bank account would be 70% more than the initial “budget”. net cost of works.

In the case of a rear extension, the difference is even starker. The builder would have quoted £100k for the construction works, but the final cost will be more like double that.

This is just a guide, all the figures can change based on the exact type of project: for example the cost of a kitchen can vary greatly, the joinery, and bathrooms will increase or reduce the divide between the contractors’ cost and the final expense.

We find that the best way to determine the client’s construction budget is to start from the final sum they are comfortable spending and working backwards from there to determine the figures that builders and other consultants will understand. In case of the loft conversion, we would work our way back from the client’s budget £150,000 to the maximum we should spend on the building works is anywhere between £88k and £68k.

I hope this has helped your understanding of the ‘real’ cost of a project, if you would like to discuss a potential project with us do get in touch, we would be happy to talk about it and we also provide an estimation service that allows us to gauge the project’s cost from the very early stages.

mail@unagru.com

After thinking for weeks or even months about finally starting your construction project, most people can’t wait to see it taking shape. But along the way are many constraints, decisions, approvals and agreements that will take time and, unless properly programmed will ruin a lot of the pleasure and excitement a real project should entail.

Architects are taught to be very careful about projecting timeframes: I remember reading, among a list of questions that typically arise when discussing with an architect the fatal: “Will we be in by Christmas?”. The answer suggested was “Which Christmas?”. In other words, do not promise what you cannot guarantee. On the other hand, people will want to plan ahead, and part of the pleasure of a project is visualising the process (we definitely encourage all clients to do it!). So here is our advice on the typical timeframes for a medium-sized extension. It will not be a clear-cut answer, because at every step there is the risk of a mistake and a small setback. The good news is that for every risk there is a strategy, and we can do a lot to speed up the process, and most importantly, enjoy it.

The short answer: timeframes depend a lot on the type of project. For a complex extension with bespoke details, we usually factor in seven to eight months from appointment to starting works. More simple projects can take one or two months less than this.

Starting from a standard seven-month benchmark for a rear extension project, we can adjust the estimate based on a few more factors:

• Type of project. The more complex and ambitious the project, the more time it will take. Ambitious projects tend to take more time to be designed, coordinated and granted planning permission.

Planning

Approval will typically take 10 weeks. Even though the maximum time allowed should be eight weeks, Councils often take one or two weeks to validate the applications. In the last year or so, Councils are requesting extensions of time more and more often. You should therefore factor in twelve weeks and be prepared to wait fourteen!

In order to reduce the impact of such a long gap between design and approval, and to reduce the risks of having to go back to the design board with a lot of work (and time) invested, we often resort to use the pre-application advice. That is, anytime our project is slightly different from the most typical examples, we approach planners to request written advice from the based on our preliminary design. The potential impact of this strategy can be both of saving time and money. You will save time, if we can get positive, or negative, feedback from the planners we given a steer on what will be successful when put to official planning and save time on the design side, it might add a month to the whole process but we believe this is easily saved elsewhere.

In the case of planners opposing the development at this stage (we would advise of this risk, of course) and a client may want to risk the official planning submission in any case. If a planning application is refused permission, you may need to invest ten more weeks in re-submitting and awaiting response on the new submission. Or, you may decide you want to appeal the decision, in which case you can expect to wait five to seven months for a decision. A lot depends on the degree of details and therefore certainty, you want to have before starting.

Finally there are special case which could add time to a development, projects involving basements and especially in certain boroughs (Camden, Kensington and Chelsea) or flood risk areas, conservation areas, or listed building, may need to meet more stringent requirements in terms of tree protection, dust control, safety of the excavations, drainage.

Design and detailing

Put simply, complex design require more time to elaborate and detail. They might require specialist subcontractors for a particular type of cladding or floor finish or structure. They will require larger, more sophisticated builders and more time to prepare and compare prices.

Degree of control:

1. Tendering: A long tendering process, for example can save a lot of money, but also take quite some time. Most possible extras and contingencies will be explored so that the client has a clear idea of the likely final cost of construction. A long tendering process may also allow to save some time further down the line, if it provides time to clarify any construction uncertainties and order every long-lead item.
2. Detail: pretty much connected with the above, more detailing takes more time but affords better results and more certainty about timeframes and costs during construction. A very detailed tender package will take about six weeks to prepare, compared to the two weeks required for a basic building regulations only set of plans.

Ways to save time if you are in a rush.

1. Take risks in the planning stages. Some clients might be willing to take risks. In the planning stages, for example, we sometimes submit an initial design for pre-application advice which saves about six weeks on the standard programme. In case of a positive feedback, we then prepare the planning drawings and start the detailing at the same time. We don’t wait for the planning permission to engage in the detailed design because we assume the permission will be granted. There is a risk in this case that the permission is refused and we need to start detailing again, which would cost time and money.
2. During tendering: Not tendering: some clients have a preferred builder and want to avoid tendering. There is a degree of risk here in potentially not getting the best price, but also that the builder is suddenly unavailable.
3. Less detailing and management will take less time: the risk is transferred to the construction stage which can drag for longer and cost more.

What could go wrong?

1. The tendering process is not successful: we do not find a builder we like, who is also available and within our budget. Or the builder we select drags the start of works or is suddenly unavailable and we need to start all over, wasting four to six weeks.
2. The planners are extremely slow in responding to a request for pre-application advice or in judging a planning application.
3. The neighbours strongly oppose the works and delay the preparation of the party wall agreement.

All in all, we suggest to begin with a seven to eight months’ scenario, and navigate design and strategic options with our advice in mind.

Our final tip is to face the design stage as one of the best parts of the process: together with your architects and your family you will enjoy the virtual omnipotence of the designer, the pleasures of teamwork, the exhilarating experience of seeing the project take shape (perhaps a physical model!), while being knowing that things may need to change and flexibility is the greatest endowment of the contemporary designer.

If you would like to discuss a project with us do get in touch mail@unagru.com