client private
engineer CRA Ltd.
contract value £62,000
area 658 sq.m.
With the opening of the Borders railway in September 2015 there was a need for more small flats near to Gorebridge station. The client asked Halvorsen Architects to convert a neglected, town centre, terraced house into two flats. The building is a listed Victorian building, so the frontage could not be altered.
The entrance to the new first floor flat, which doubles as a fire escape, had to be at the rear of the property. It is made of lightweight steel with open mesh steel treads and landings to allow as much light as possible into the flats.
The most was made of the far-reaching views at the rear with Juliet balconies and large terraces on the steep sloping site.
Every bit of space was used as efficiently as possible, with ladder access to a mezzanine level for the first floor flat. Its glass balustrade and the overhead roof lights make the room lighter and seem more spacious.
The renovation predominantly uses natural ecological materials including sheeps wool insulation and wood fibre board panels.
