We were appointed to design a Wimbledon Garden Room as part of the wider refurbishment of an Edwardian house. The project is for a couple preparing for retirement who wish to devote more time to nurturing their garden. They wanted a calm and generous setting for potting and tending plants along with an inviting inside outside space that forms a natural extension of their home. The Wimbledon Garden Room became a central element of the overall brief.
Sector
Homes
Location
Wimbledon, London
Date
2015-16
Client
Private
Area
250 m2
Status
Completed
The timber brise solei structure is made from 36 cedar fins
A Pavilion within the Garden
Our approach was to create a pavilion like timber structure that feels both distinct and rooted in the long tradition of light garden buildings. The room is formed from thirty-six cedar fins that will gradually weather to a soft silver. These fins are intentionally denser near the main house and gently open outwards as the structure meets the garden, giving the impression that the pavilion eases itself into the landscape.
Concealed Structure and Collaborative Design
The project was developed in close collaboration with Structural Engineer StructureMode. A key aim was to celebrate the timber frame while concealing the steelwork that enables the pavilion and its cantilevered elements. T shaped steel members were engineered so that the supports remain hidden. Computer modelling guided the refinement of the steel substructure and ensured the precise spacing and alignment of the fins.
The space between the cedar fins increases as the structure meets the garden
The garden room cedar brise soleil gradually extending and opening up to the garden
“We were drawn to the dialogue between the pavilion’s raw timber presence and the refined sophistication of its geometry when developing the proposal. Designing a structure that could inhabit the garden as a contemporary folly was a real pleasure.”
Simon James, Partner at Patalab
A glazed corner window dissolves the boundary between inside and outside
The inner worktop area extends as wooden shelf into the garden
Craftsmanship and Detail
Each fin was manufactured off site using a detailed set of forty-six drawings. The craftsmanship required was considerable, as the junctions between timber and steel needed to allow for movement and ventilation while remaining visually seamless. The completed Wimbledon Garden Room offers a sculptural brise soleil quality and reflects long standing design themes in our work, including movement, tension and the interplay of light and shade.
View to the garden framed by the timber brise solei
Linked to the kitchen, the new extension forms the threshold to the garden
South London Projects
Wimbledon Garden Room is one of the many schemes for private and commercial clients Patalab has delivered in South London. Further South London projects include Wandsworth Cottage and a clinic for Richmond Pharmacology.
