Artist’s Studio, Stepney

Martin Edwards Architects for private client
Contract value: Confidential 
GIA: 112m²

This project adds an upper storey to an existing house, providing its artist owner with an uplifting new studio.  Externally, the addition is clad in charred and oiled ash, embellished on the flank elevation by a diagonal copper rainwater pipe. A rear terrace is shaded by the extended timber slatted side elevation and pergola.

Inside, the studio is accessed via a robust, mill-finished steel staircase with perforated treads. The new double-pitched roof is set diagonally across the studio space to align exactly east-west, enabling the structure to frame a perfect north light. Reuse and recycling are evident throughout, including the repurposing of the original roofing boards as the studio floor. New and old co-exist comfortably, the disparate parts combining to present a raw, natural, and carefully detailed whole.

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