The conversion of an historic burgage plot in Chipping Sodbury, north of Bristol. The 710 sqm site currently comprises a mixture of uses including a bar/restaurant, several office spaces and an artists studio. The proposals will see the creation of 8 no. residential units and associated landscaped courtyard space.

Studio Green’s early vision for the site and the design proposals was to capitalise on the unique character of the existing building and the sites highly sustainable location. Both of these characteristics present an opportunity for an ambitious development which is both rich in its design quality whilst also being sensitive in its design response.

In addition to the creative reuse of the existing fabric for conversion to high quality residential units, the proposals also focussed on improvements to the courtyard within the mews where a mix of hard landscaping and planters will be used to delineate areas of vehicular and pedestrian movement.

The 8 dwellings proposed for the site range in size to provide a mix of 1 and 2 bedroom homes. The majority of the dwellings have private front doors which are accessed from the mews/courtyard which helps to activate the ground floor frontage within the courtyard, while also giving each dwellings its own private arrival space.

Due to the constraints of the existing building and particularly the majority single aspect spaces at ground floor, many of the dwellings have been designed as ‘upside-down’ duplexes with bedrooms and bathrooms in the single aspect ground floor areas, and kitchen living spaces at first floor where most spaces are dual aspect and therefore benefit from an increased amount and quality of natural light.

The limited palette of new materials has been chosen for their sensitive yet distinct response to the existing materials and the wider context of the site. New feature openings of dormer windows will be clad in a weathered corten, which tonally reflects the orangey-red clay roof tiles, whilst also referencing the lighter stone and brick surrounds to many of the existing windows.

Timber cladding will be used alongside new infill door entrances and to the new infill building along the northern edge of the site. Where paired with doors and windows the cladding will be laid vertically to complement the proportion of the openings, however cladding to the infill building will be laid horizontally to subtlety relate to the stone and brick coursing of the adjacent cattle shed buildings.