Cathie Curran completes hempcrete

Sitting on a mews lane in Forest Gate on a site previously occupied by a single-storey lock-up, the house has a hybrid steel and timber structure.

Hempcrete was chosen for the walls as being lightweight, thermally efficient and carbon-negative. Other materials used include lime-rendered oak, terracotta, marble and pale ground concrete, as well as Accoya for the external joinery. A modular triple-glazed fenestration system was developed with the joiners, using both fixed and opening insulated panels.

Noise and views from the mews are filtered through a front screen fence, intended to be jasmine-covered in time, as well as by the thickness of the front façade, which incorporates concealed storage.

Heating and hot water are provided by an air source heat pump and localised MHVR provides ventilation without heat loss. Solar panels on the roof contribute to the house’s running costs.

You enter through a dark oak lobby, which can be closed off for additional privacy or opened to the living spaces behind: dining, kitchen and sitting. Functional zones are defined by oak-clad columns and the treatment and height of the ceilings.

The double-height kitchen is the focal point of the house with its tiny multi-fuel stove and a bench for gossiping with the cook. Double doors and full-height glazing open from the kitchen onto the north-west facing garden. Limestone gravel and oak sleepers have been laid out to make a place for a table. Shutters allow dialogue between the kitchen and first floor study, which can be secluded from family activity by closing the shutters and the lobby doors. The top-lit vertical circulation slot, with its cascading stairs and top-floor gallery landing, adds drama to daily life and balances the horizontality of the ground floor.

The hybrid steel and timber structure is overlaid with a secondary reinforcement system integral to the hempcrete. This 3D tartan grid is echoed in the elevations (the hempcrete is waterproofed with lime render and finished with warm terracotta tile to create a counterpoint to the context).

The structure will permit easy conversion into two separate units if desired, each with independent street access. Multigenerational occupancy, co-living or social care provision, even commercial activity, could all be accommodated. This functional flexibility will contribute to the longevity of the building and the terraced house plan could be replicated on any number of sites where taller buildings are not considered to be suitable. With a floor area of 144m2 and built on a relatively modest budget and small footprint, this is potentially an easily replicated, scalable housing solution.Cathie Curran, architect

Source:Cathie Curran

Start on site January 2020Completion May 2023 (including Covid-related delays)Gross internal floor area 144m2Gross (internal + external) floor area 201m2Form of contract JCT IntermediateConstruction cost £450,000Construction cost per m2 £3,125Architect Cathie CurranClient Cathie CurranStructural engineer EntuitiveQS Cost Plan, Ian Swaysland, AstimoLandscape consultant Boyd Gray DesignHempcrete Ronan McDermot/hempbuild.ieExterior joinery Sollex / Original SashLandscape consultant Boyd Gray DesignProject manager Cathie CurranPrincipal designer Cathie CurranCDM coordinator Daniel Seiche LCHApproved building inspector SalusMain contractor London Construction HUBAirtightness at 50Pa 4 m3/h.m2Design life 50 yearsCAD software used MicroStation

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TagsCathie Curran Forest Gate Hempcrete mews house