Monumental brick arches outline London townhouses by The DHaus Company

[Celerity]

https://www.dezeen.com/2023/03/19/the-arches-brick-townhouses-dhaus-company/











Architecture studio The DHaus Company has completed The Arches, a row of six brick-clad townhouses in a north London conservation area. Replacing a derelict petrol station, the terrace is named after the monumental arches that form the facades of each partially sunken, three-level home.









The DHaus Company designed the row to echo its surroundings, which include Georgian-era housing named Grove Terrace and a row of Victorian railway arches. The arch is a recurring motif, so the studio decided to create a contemporary interpretation. "We undertook a study of local buildings in and around the local area," explained architects David Ben-Grunberg and Daniel Woolfson, the founders of The DHaus Company. "These buildings highlighted a strong mixture of rectangles and arches set within a brick canvas," they said.









The site is a highly prominent location within the Dartmouth Park Conservation Area, so the design process involved lengthy consultation. As Ben-Grunberg grew up in the area, and Woolfson had lived nearby, the pair were able to use their instincts to come up with a design that felt appropriate for the setting. A key aspect was the decision to partially sink the buildings below ground, so the roof is no higher than the petrol station that occupied the site previously.











Another idea was to reinstate green spaces along the street both in front and behind the terrace. "Our initial design idea was inspired by the historic green lung of open green spaces along the Highgate Road," said the duo. "This meant reinstating the green lung as close to how it was back in 1873 – a futuristic Victorian throwback."

[debm55]

1. very nice