Our clients wanted a flamboyant design so our aim for the design was to maintain the identity of the 1930's building whilst adding a new extension that would be clearly identifiable as a later addition.
The original building had been rendered externally and so to contrast we chose to use bricks. In a tribute to the intricate brick work found in the North West of England we used a Flemish brick bond with a white stretcher and black header. The black bricks are set back 10mm from the face of the white brick to add texture.
Internally the building was cellular in keeping with a 1930's idea of family living - our clients wanted a more contemporary open-plan living area, "a light and airy space where a family could interact". It was clear that the existing kitchen was not adequate and that its enlargement and combination into a larger space would provide the solution.
We added a secondary reading to the extension, by acknowledging the new importance of the family room and so distinguished it as a larger volume to the adjoining utility area. This hierarchical reading was then further accentuated by giving larger window/door proportions to the main volume and more 'utilitarian' openings on the secondary volume - We also changed the brick pattern to a more utilitarian Stack bond with all white stretcher bricks.