Buckinghamshire Annexe

‘Reclaimed’ and ‘sustainable’ can be seen as words attributed to something aesthetically inferior, though boasting of environmental performance.

Our Buckinghamshire Annexe project, shortlisted for the prestigious Architect's Journal Reclaim and Retrofit Award, shows that this does not have to be the case.

A former Cherry Store, and later a tired uninhabitable garage space, the building underwent a deep retrofitting process.
Reclaimed materials include terracotta tiles from a derelict building, discarded Victorian floorboards from another TAK project, and original doors from the client’s childhood home. Kitchen and bathroom tiles, as well as the paint used, were also left over from other projects. The metal balustrade was made in a small local workshop just 10 miles away from the site. Raw plaster walls create a calming atmosphere. The use of natural and recycled materials add to the character of the space. Reuse and staying true to materials are key themes of the project, and also played a vital role in keeping to a modest budget.

Three elevations of the cherry store are pierced with unique, scattered windows. Opening up the space into a single room, exposing the pitched roof and forming a half-depth mezzanine, has ensured a feeling of connectivity and a tremendous quality of light in the space throughout the day.