GIRDLESTONE HOUSE

Girdlestone House demonstrates how considered design can unlock significant additional value from an existing property.

We secured planning permission and delivered the technical design for eight new apartments across two additional storeys, constructed above an existing residential building while retaining the nine homes below.

Girdlestone House was an established three-storey residential building containing nine apartments on a mature site in Oxford. The opportunity was not to redevelop the site, but to make considerably more of the building already there.

Working with Lucy Real Estate, We developed an earlier consented proposal into a scheme for eight additional apartments across two new storeys, almost doubling the number of homes within the existing footprint.

Securing the additional accommodation was only part of the challenge. The design had to work structurally with the existing building, resolve access, fire safety and servicing, and allow the existing apartments to remain below. A new passenger lift and protected stair core were incorporated alongside replacement glazing and improvements to cycle and refuse storage.

The architecture of the extension takes its cues from the existing building, using brickwork and the established proportions and rhythm of the elevations to make the additional storeys feel like an evolution of Girdlestone House rather than an unrelated addition.

The result is eight new homes created without additional land, significantly enhancing the value and long-term potential of an existing residential asset.