Duggan Morris Architects . photos: © Jack Hobhouse
Duggan Morris Architects were approached by the owners of No. 3 The Hexagon, Fitzroy Park, who were in search of a vision to revive the original architectural value of their house, diminished overtime by a variety of architectural interventions. The house forms part of a semirural area along a private road, inside the Highgate Conservation Area, containing period properties of historic relevance, which through time have been complemented with contemporary houses; No. 3 The Hexagon is noted in the Conservation Area guidelines as being a ‘Positive Building’, giving it an importance of character for the area.
The property is set within a small culdesac development designed in the 1960s by architect Leonard Michaels, as a masterplan of 6 houses arranged along a narrow road branching off Fitzroy Park, perpendicularly opposite an expanse of allotments. The houses are modest in scale and appearance, integrated as much as possible into the context. Being flat roofed and compact, the land flows in between them almost unobstructed. The houses are of a simple modern construction integrating contextual materials and deploying them in a discreet manner, rather than trying to make a statement. Nevertheless, the houses follow a set of principles defined by the architect, with each one a different instance to the next in order to create a larger composition of independent houses. The site plot drops north to south towards Fitzroy Park, itself following a constant drop towards the heath from the east. In addition, many surrounding plots are divided by low timber fences in open boundary areas, giving the site the appearance of a continuous rolling landscape. No. 3 has a privileged position within the development as it faces a natural land drop and the stunning aspect across the roof tops of adjoining buildings towards the southern horizon and Highgate ponds in the Heath.
In its ‘found state’ the house was in urgent need of repair, as a considerable portion of its fabric was in a precarious condition. Even considering the informality and rural quality of the exterior landscape features protected by the Conservation Area guidelines, the found state prevented the house from being used in its optimal level and some of its basic architectural principles were aesthetically compromised. The interventions, now complete, include the removal of several poorly conceived additions including a porch to the front and an unsightly first floor extension to the rear. The primary ‘new’ intervention, to the rear, takes the form of a timber frame element, delineating the original profile of the house and providing a threshold, and a dignified face, towards the landscape. The first floor offers outstanding views, towards the Heath and our intention has been to frame the views as naturally and directly as possible. Internally, the house has been carefully remodeled throughout, out of an understanding and appreciation of the language of the original, whilst a new, simple entrance and associated landscaping completes the street facing façade.
