Clink Street

• LOCATION: E1, London
• PROJECT: Internal fit-out
• CLIENT: Private domestic client
• ARCHITECT: Marianne Davys Architects
• QUANTITY SURVEYOR: Batey Associates
• STRUCTURAL ENGINEER: Whitby & Bird
• VAT CONSULTANT: Landmark PT
• CONTRACTOR: Miles Building
• CONSTRUCTION COST: £295,000 + VAT
• CONTRACT: JCT Agreement for Minor Building Works
• DATE COMPLETED: 2004

Project brief

The existing apartment is on the top floor and includes the double pitched roof space of a Grade II-listed 19th-century warehouse building, with elevations on Clink Street and the River Thames, close to Southwark Cathedral.

The brief was to fit out the interior to provide three bedrooms and bathrooms, a library, a utility room, ancillary spaces and storage at a new mezzanine level on the street side, and a large open-plan full-height office/living/dining/kitchen space on the river side. The brief also included opening conservation roof lights above the exposed roof trusses to increase the amount of light throughout the apartment, and fitting secondary windows with acoustic glass on the street side.

Project specifics

On the north-facing river side, the space is open plan for the full length of the apartment, using furniture and built-in units to define the areas for office, living, dining and kitchen. The central part of the plan contains stairs, lift, library,

utility room, bathroom and WC. The individual bedrooms and an ensuite bathroom are located on the noisy south-facing street side, and in these rooms secondary windows with acoustic glass were fitted. Mezzanine spaces were created in the roof space above the bedrooms as study and storage areas.

The large opening roof lights above the original rafters on the south side of the pitched roof over the kitchen/dining/living/office area transform the space, allowing sunlight and ventilation to the space below.

Internal timber wall-cladding and timber boarded doors are detailed in a traditional way and painted in a wide palette of colours selected by the client, while standalone elements such as the stainless-steel kitchen island and the extractor above are modern and minimalist. The client’s collection of artwork, paintings and antique furniture seem just right for this unique space.

Project challenges

• Prolonged discussions with Southwark Council throughout the project to obtain approval for the new roof lights, the secondary windows and the alterations to the original structure.
• Meeting the client’s brief while minimising any alteration to the original structure.
• The location on Clink Street made it difficult and time-consuming for the contractor to move all the rubbish out of the building, to have the rubbish collected or materials delivered, and to carry materials up the stairs to the top floor.