Architecture Initiative breathes life into neglected
Grade II Ernő Goldfinger scheme
15.04.13
Grade II Ernő Goldfinger scheme
15.04.13
Architecture Initiative have been appointed to oversee the restoration and expansion of a Grade II listed school keepers house in Putney
Placed on English Heritage’s, ‘Heritage at Risk’ register due to neglect and inappropriate development, the Goldfinger scheme has been caught in a ten year stale-mate between planners and developers while decisions are made as to how best to conserve the original building.
Construction is now underway, restoring and significantly extending the existing structure, utilising Goldfinger's original construction methods, to accommodate 4 new residential units.
The School Keepers Cottage was originally part of the Grade II Listed Brandlehow Primary School, designed by Ernő Goldfinger in 1949 and opened in 1952.
The school building secured its listing due to the importance of its architect, who was an influential figure in the British Modernist Movement, and also due to the uniqueness of its construction.
Constructed at time when the country was starting to recover from the ravages of World War II, the innovative construction system provided both cost savings over the standards set by the government at that time and also set a precedent for the design of new school buildings.
After the old school was bombed in 1944, the London County Council had originally planned to provide temporary school buildings, but Goldfinger proposed an alternative scheme. Using a precast reinforced concrete frame with brick infill, enabling a more permanent and suitable school structure to be built that was still comparable in construction costs.
Since 2002 the School Keepers Cottage has suffered a long and contentious planning/ development history, after it was separated from Brandlehow School for private development.
AI secured planning approval after extensive consultation with the local authority planning and conservation departments and English Heritage.
The design incorporates extensive basement excavation. The new build elements of the scheme are intended to fit in sensitively with the existing building. Whilst complimenting the existing design details and aesthetic, the proposal also visually separates old from new to allow the additions to be easily recognisable from the original scheme.
The construction methods used for the existing and new build roof also follow this ethos, by combining both original and modern lightweight construction techniques to the existing and new roof areas respectively.
We hope that the proposal will return the listed building to residential use and will ensure the long term future of this heritage asset.
Construction is now underway, restoring and significantly extending the existing structure, utilising Goldfinger's original construction methods, to accommodate 4 new residential units.
The School Keepers Cottage was originally part of the Grade II Listed Brandlehow Primary School, designed by Ernő Goldfinger in 1949 and opened in 1952.
The school building secured its listing due to the importance of its architect, who was an influential figure in the British Modernist Movement, and also due to the uniqueness of its construction.
Constructed at time when the country was starting to recover from the ravages of World War II, the innovative construction system provided both cost savings over the standards set by the government at that time and also set a precedent for the design of new school buildings.
After the old school was bombed in 1944, the London County Council had originally planned to provide temporary school buildings, but Goldfinger proposed an alternative scheme. Using a precast reinforced concrete frame with brick infill, enabling a more permanent and suitable school structure to be built that was still comparable in construction costs.
Since 2002 the School Keepers Cottage has suffered a long and contentious planning/ development history, after it was separated from Brandlehow School for private development.
AI secured planning approval after extensive consultation with the local authority planning and conservation departments and English Heritage.
The design incorporates extensive basement excavation. The new build elements of the scheme are intended to fit in sensitively with the existing building. Whilst complimenting the existing design details and aesthetic, the proposal also visually separates old from new to allow the additions to be easily recognisable from the original scheme.
The construction methods used for the existing and new build roof also follow this ethos, by combining both original and modern lightweight construction techniques to the existing and new roof areas respectively.
We hope that the proposal will return the listed building to residential use and will ensure the long term future of this heritage asset.