A west London rebuild organised around one stair

Fieldwork has reworked a dilapidated west London building into something neatly split between work and home: a casting studio on the ground floor, with a two-storey apartment above. The project added a mansard roof and a double-height side infill extension where a covered garage once stood, increasing the floor area by more than 60 per cent. The result is a 245-square-metre, three-storey building that puts a practical live-work arrangement inside a more assertive shell.

The whole plan turns on a new central staircase, which the architects describe as the organising element of the house. It separates the casting studio from the living spaces while helping light and air move up through the building. Above, the first floor holds the living room, kitchen, bedroom and bathroom; the top floor adds another bedroom and ensuite, separated from the landing by a timber-and-glass partition that keeps a visual link to the roof terrace.

There are smart material shifts too. Zinc shingles wrap the mansard roof and extension, set against the existing rendered facade to make old and new legible from the street. Inside, microcement, light oak joinery and Douglas fir linings warm the domestic rooms, while the casting room gets acoustic insulation and a cork floor to control reverberation. Circular skylights, shaped with softbox lights in mind, pull daylight deep into the plan. Not somewhere to visit, but a thoughtful one to file away if you like live-work homes that solve several problems at once.

Our summary of a story from Dezeen, published 6 October 2026. Read the original

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