Volume reconfiguration and material redefinition. Completion & commissioning
CONTEXT
The project concerns a private house within the structure of English residential development.
A compact brick volume with pronounced vertical proportions and a pitched roof.
The intervention addressed the entire building, combining extension and spatial reconfiguration into a coherent architectural system.
OBJECTIVE
The aim was not merely to increase floor area, but to transform the existing volume into a fully articulated three-level house with a clear vertical hierarchy and spatial continuity.
Key constraints included:
compact typology
preservation of original proportions
integration of a new level within the existing geometry
material coherence between exterior and interior
The intervention operated at structural, volumetric and spatial levels.
PROJECT DECISION
Two spatial approaches were considered for the extension.
The first option proposed two independent volumes under a shared roof.
The second explored a double-height condition where the veranda would remain visually connected to the upper bedroom through an internal balcony.
The second approach would have created a stronger spatial continuity between levels. However, it would also have reduced the privacy of the bedroom and introduced a direct visual connection with the veranda.
The final decision favoured spatial separation.
The veranda and the upper bedroom were organised as distinct volumes integrated within a newly designed roof geometry.
This solution allowed the house to gain additional living space while maintaining the proportional balance of the building and the privacy of the upper level.
STRATEGY
The approach was based on three principles:
Vertical Logic
The formation of a defined hierarchy of levels, with the structural staircase acting as the central connective element.
Light Strategy
Controlled introduction of natural light through precisely positioned openings and integration within the pitched roof plane.
Volumetric Balance
Recalibration of mass and void to achieve proportion, depth and continuity between the extension and the original structure.
SPATIAL STRUCTURE
The approach was based on three principles:
Vertical Logic
The formation of a defined hierarchy of levels, with the structural staircase acting as the central connective element.
Light Strategy
Controlled introduction of natural light through precisely positioned openings and integration within the pitched roof plane.
Volumetric Balance
Recalibration of mass and void to achieve proportion, depth and continuity between the extension and the original structure.
ENVELOPE & EXTERNAL NODES
volumetric design of the veranda
upper-level loggia
entrance composition
fireplace and chimney articulation
four-car canopy
landscape integration
The façade remains aligned with the English architectural matrix through proportion, brick rhythm and material continuity.
MATERIAL DIRECTION
Architecture and interior were developed as a unified system.
Key elements include:
coffered ceilings
structural staircase
calibrated rhythm of brick surfaces
dialogue between load-bearing structure and final finishes
RESULT
The residence was redefined through spatial control and structural coherence.
The volumetric extension and the introduction of the third level were not treated as a surface increase, but as a reconstruction of the internal balance of the building.
Each element was developed as part of one unified system.
Not a decorative intervention.
A structured and legible transformation.
The building was completed and commissioned in 2018.
Pre-2019 project completed abroad. Since 2019 LUUMAA Design operates in Italy exclusively in interior & exterior design, spatial direction, concept development, and creative direction.