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Flush jointed brickwork creates a monolithic look

A multi-volume, two-bedroom house in grey Antro brick from Vandersanden inserts itself like an upright block of stone between the Victorian villas on an Ealing street

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Fletcher Crane's Tree House is 'stitched assertively into the street scenography'.
Fletcher Crane's Tree House is 'stitched assertively into the street scenography'. Credit: Lorenzo Zandri

Surrey-based firm Fletcher Crane Architects has specified Vandersanden’s 65mm Antro facing brick for the interiors and exteriors of its RIBA Regional Award winning Tree House, a contemporary home in Ealing, west London. 

Located in a conservation area and constructed on a 12x12m former garage site bounded by rear gardens, Tree House is a two-bedroom property that stands alongside a run of characterful villas. 

Fletcher Crane designed the home as an articulated series of volumes in a split-level arrangement of rooms around a central spine. 

The kitchen and living room sit on the upper storeys to make the most of natural daylight while the two bedrooms are submerged within semi-sunken floors.

Three principal materials create a raw palette inside and out: black ash timber, tubular metalwork and multicoloured Antro brick.

The load-bearing brickwork is exposed and flush-jointed with traditional lime mortar to create a unifying, almost monolithic appearance.

BauBuche structural timber joists span the brick structure while, in the basement, the in-situ concrete frame is left bare. The central staircase is encased in ash timber panelling, which is set against more curved Antro brickwork and sharp metal balustrades.

Outside, a sunken planted courtyard is accessed using stepped Antro brick planters and a paddle stair constructed of black cobble setts.

  • Antro bricks from Vandersanden create a unifying appearance.
    Antro bricks from Vandersanden create a unifying appearance. Credit: Lorenzo Zandri
  • The kitchen and living room sit on the upper storeys.
    The kitchen and living room sit on the upper storeys. Credit: Lorenzo Zandri
  • The interiors palette is simple too: 'The rough facing brick contrasts with the sharper and darker detailing.'
    The interiors palette is simple too: 'The rough facing brick contrasts with the sharper and darker detailing.' Credit: Lorenzo Zandri
  • BauBuche structural timber joists span the brick structure.
    BauBuche structural timber joists span the brick structure. Credit: Lorenzo Zandri
  • Fletcher Crane's Tree House: 'Celebrating the texture, variation and interest of a raw palette of building materials.'
    Fletcher Crane's Tree House: 'Celebrating the texture, variation and interest of a raw palette of building materials.' Credit: Lorenzo Zandri
  • The entrance lobby with its curved wall leads to a split level arrangement of rooms in a vertical spine of circulation.
    The entrance lobby with its curved wall leads to a split level arrangement of rooms in a vertical spine of circulation. Credit: Lorenzo Zandri
  • The sunken courtyard with brick planters and a paddle stair in black cobble setts.
    The sunken courtyard with brick planters and a paddle stair in black cobble setts. Credit: Lorenzo Zandri
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'We like the texture, tones and variety that the Antro brick gives us at Tree House,' says Harry Reid, architect at Fletcher Crane Architects. 'Vandersanden offers a significant range of these light multicoloured bricks in white and grey hues, which are very attractive for this type of project.'

The company supplied sample options for comparison and contrast and Reid selected Antro.

'It combines well with the lime mortar and other components at Tree House to create the overall feeling of an intimate yet generous home that’s filled with light and rich in materials.'

Antro is created from a combination of different clay forms that yield a grey base colour and is then coated with specific sand types to create a grained, creased texture.

The clay structure brings darker and lighter tones out of the base grey along with shades of white in the overall final appearance.

Find more on this case study at vandersanden.com/tree-house

For more information and technical support, visit vandersanden.com 

 

Contact:

01954 268075

sales@vandersanden.com

 

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