11-15 Grosvenor Crescent

11 - 15 Grosvenor Crescent, London, UK The refurbishment and re-modelling of 11-15 Grosvenor Crescent represented a unique opportunity to breathe new life into a Listed building which had suffered from decades of unsophisticated intervention, and to combine it with a dynamic new addition to complement the historic fabric. A clear distinction between old and new; The existing rear wall of the main terraced building has been retained and repaired and the connection between the old and the new is thoughtfully expressed through a series of internal light wells and glass link bridges, expressly complementing and contrasting old fabric with new, both externally and internally. The building mediates between differing townscape scales, from the grandeur of the Crescent to the smaller scale of the Mews, using materiality as well as scale and proportion to provide a carefully thought out composition. The existing building has been restored and where features have been lost, the grandeur of the original front rooms has been replaced. The approach to the introduction of contemporary elements, such as bathrooms, was to separate them from the existing fabric – a light touch approach which sees the best of the old sitting comfortably in contrast with the new. The terrace of five buildings remain as separate entities at ground and first floor – entrances to the Grand apartments and the main communal entrance to the building reinvigorate the existing porticoed frontage. Lateral apartments on upper floors deliver high quality residential layouts, which acknowledge the original plan forms by retaining original party wall lines, whilst maintaining a comfortable and logical flow of space through the units.