The RDA team have secured planning consent for two contemporary new-build houses near Clapham Common. The existing site currently contains two post-war semi-detached houses, which were built following WW2 bomb damage. The existing houses are considerably smaller than those along the street, set back from the front building line, non-contextual and of poor-quality architecture. The proposal sought to provide two new-build semi-detached houses, with basements and garden studios at the rear of the site. Our aim was to avoid an insular contemporary design but also the dishonest pastiche of a revival style. The proposal therefore seeks to take cues from the historic context and offer its own identity in a way that will enrich the street scene in a respectful manner; the end of the terrace has been designed to echo the character of the surrounding corner typologies. A restrained material palette has been used, comprising of high-quality stone, brick,…

Rodić Davidson Architects have recently submitted a planning application for the renovation of two luxury apartment buildings which overlook a beautiful garden square in the heart of Knightsbridge. Located within the Hans Town Conservation Architecture Area, the residential setting is made up of red brick frontages with a repetitive rhythm of gables, narrow plots with tall facades, chimney stacks and bay windows. Each building displays individual character with variations in height, form and ornamentation, while still referencing the Queen Anne Revival Style. Over the years, some of the buildings in the square suffered at the hands of modern development and bomb damage, including one of the facades at our site which was ‘seriously damaged – repairable at cost’. Repair work following the Blitz resulted in poor replica work, in-keeping with the late Victorian aesthetic but eroding the individualism of the Queen Anne ethos. The assessment of the existing fabric and…

RDI have recently completed a residential project in West London, located within the Cornwall Conservation Architecture Area in RBKC. The Grade II Listed apartment is a mid-terrace, stucco fronted property overlooking a garden square. The listed apartment was in a poor state of repair and had been altered from its original configuration. It had also suffered the loss of interior decorative features and the insertion of inappropriately placed internal partitions. Furthermore, the ceiling had been lowered to conceal drainage routes from the apartments above, harming the original proportions of the rooms. The restoration of the floorplan along with the reinstatement of the original ceiling height has enhanced the legibility of the historic fabric. RDI has crafted a minimal and elegant aesthetic; a functional design that optimizes the use of space. The refurbishment has provided a more efficient layout including and includes an additional bathroom. The RDI team created spaces that…

Our client threw a party to welcome the forthcoming demolition of her house, which will be replaced with a new build house designed by the Rodic Davidson team. To celebrate the life of the old house, the Post-Pandemic Pre-Commencement Party saw friends, family and colleagues gather with spray paint and full PPE to say thank you and goodbye.

We are excited to launch our latest exhibition featured in our window displays at the practice. The exhibition, entitled HAND., features a series of photographs by visual artist Agenda Brown, who explores notions of communication through close studies of gestural expression. “With portraits, I’ve always been interested in the shape a person occupies in the space you have given it, and HAND. extends that exploration.” says Agenda. “To see a hand at a scale so much greater than it is, zooming in on something that more normally flashes past you in a split second in a conversation, asks you to examine it for a length of time you would never normally spend on it. There is a deeper looking, and for longer, that reveals so many layers in stillness.” Running from 9th September 2021 until 9th January 2022, the show will feature over 20 images, hung across multiple sites in…

A view from the rooftop of one of our new projects in Notting Hill.

Rodic Davidson Architects have gained planning consent in June 2021 for a new wildlife tower within north-east Cambridgeshire Fenland. Our client approached us with a unique brief and aspiration – to create a wildlife tower within their newly established wild-flower meadow capable of attracting and accommodating a variety of wildlife, including bats, bees, songbirds, and primarily swifts.  Swift population in the UK has steadily declined over the last 25 years and are now categorised as ‘endangered’ in Britain by the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature).  This is believed to be due to the loss of nesting sites through modern construction techniques. A number of modern towers have been constructed to tackle this issue, and try to raise the UK swift population, however have had limited success, with nesting pairs of swifts favouring the solidity and shelter of church towers.  With this in mind, the proposal is to…

Here is a selection of some of the stairs that we have designed.

Construction is well under way for our new-build scheme Five Apartments, Kensington. As the scaffolding comes down, the geometric, slate roof form and pale brickwork is revealed. We secured planning consent in 2017 and are due to complete in Autumn 2021.

Building a house in the countryside has long been considered a dream. Due to prolonged periods of lockdown over the past year, this dream has been heightened for those wanting to escape urban areas and move to a more rural setting that can offer space and tranquillity. However, when setting out to build a new home in the countryside it is worth considering that 'Paragraph 80' of the NPPF (National Planning Policy Framework) sets out criteria that has to be met when constructing a new home in an isolated setting. Paragraph 80 was previously called Paragraph 79 and before that, Paragraph 55, PPS7 and PPG7. While the name and wording has evolved over the years, its purpose remains the same; to protect the character of any given rural area from poor quality new-build houses. Rodic Davidson Architects have extensive experience in the design and construction of one-off houses in the…

Rodić Davidson and the team of consultants developing proposals for the renovation of a Grade II* listed property in Soho have been granted planning permission and listed building consent, with the committee unanimously overturning the officer’s recommendation for refusal. The proposals also had the full support of the Soho Society and English Heritage and, as noted by a councillor, was unusual with no objections from any local residents and businesses. This project is the first ever Grade 2* Listed Building to achieve a BREEAM outstanding rating for a domestic refurbishment. Our proposal seeks to restore extensive alterations made to the historic fabrics over the years whilst simultaneously upgrading key elements in order to ensure the long-term use and preservation of this Grade II* listed property. One of the most significant changes is the demolition and reconstruction of the late 19th Century rear extension with a new glazed link to connect…

We are extremely pleased to confirm that our team is back in the studio continuing our ongoing work on current projects as well as undertaking work on new enquiries. As a practice, we continue to maintain the high level of service that our clients are familiar with, while continuing to follow all government advice and ensuring that the health and safety of all of our staff remains paramount. We continue to attend meetings and workshops via telephone or video conferencing including MS Teams and Zoom for the foreseeable future. The office number 020 7043 3551 remains the central and primary point of telephone contact, however, the direct dial numbers and email addresses of our senior staff are: Ben Davidson: 020 7993 5802 [email protected] Siniša Rodić: 020 7043 3553 [email protected] Andrew Watson: 020 7242 5514 [email protected] Nikolas Ward: 0560 003 0365 [email protected] Emily Osler: 020 7831 8882 [email protected] We hope you, your family and…

Former Artists' Studio #1, is featured in the Don’t Move, Improve! 2021 showcase of London’s best home renovations. This renovation transformed a 1-bedroom bachelor pad into a three-bedroom family home. The double height living space retains the openness of the original artists studio, whilst the glass walkway reveals new aspects from which to view the space. Our response is unashamedly modernist with a restrained material pallet – an extensive use of structural glazing by Cantifix, white resin floor, polished concrete and plaster. To see further details and images of the project featured in the exhibition,  visit the Don't Move, Improve! website here. Images by Matthew Davis

Construction work continues at a five-storey Belgravia Townhouse within the Belgravia Conservation Area. The property is situated on a quiet road within Belgravia, just off Belgrave Square. We gained a lawful development certificate in 2019 and construction began in Summer 2020 and is scheduled to finish in Autumn 2021. The full internal reconfiguration aims to create special architectural interest by improving the sense of scale and volume within the property and generating an exciting flow of well-connected spaces for the family dwelling. Keep an eye on more news and updates to follow in the coming months.

Rodić Davidson Architects have a wealth of experience in refurbishing and extending period properties, particularly within central London. Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian dwellings continue to make up a large proportion of the housing stock in central London’s most prestigious neighbourhoods; an indication of the enduring utility, quality and appeal of homes built during these architectural periods. These styles of homes are attractive to both owner-occupiers and investors, given the prestige and price premium attached to their generous proportions and classical features. Rodić Davidson Interiors are currently working closely alongside Rodić Davidson Architects on several period properties, allowing the architectural and interior design works to be carefully and sensitively coordinated. Despite sharing features, such as quoins and columns, each style of architecture has distinguishing elements that reflect the period of society in which it was built. Here, we explore a few of the key characteristics of Georgian and Regency dwellings: Georgian…

Rodić Davidson Architects have gained planning consent in January 2021 for a rear extension with closet wing alterations and a dormer roof extension to a terraced Victorian house in a Conservation Area in South West London. This property lies within the Lambton Road Conservation Area, and careful consideration was taken to preserve the red and yellow brick detailing, arches and decorative mouldings. Double glazed timber sash windows are to replace the unsympathetic glazing throughout the property, and the front bay window is to be rebuilt in red brick with slate hung tiles to match the historic style along Lambton Road. Within the ground floor, the traditional sitting and entrance layout were retained, including the cornicing and decorative plaster work internally. A snug, guest WC and cloaks area are proposed from the hallway and large openings lead into the new open plan kitchen, dining and living space. The existing lean-to extension…

Gas boilers will be banned in new homes from 2025 under the Future Homes Standard in order to reduce the carbon footprint of home heating. The Future Homes Standard will require new build homes to be future-proofed with low carbon heating and world-leading levels of energy efficiency. This will require a considerable step forward in energy efficiency standards compared to the current requirements of the Building Regulations. Therefore, the main questions that we face are firstly, how can we reduce the carbon footprint in our home without compromising on practicality and affordability? Secondly, do we currently have the infrastructure and technology to achieve this? We will explore some potential solutions that are more easily implementable with new-build homes which will no doubt become more prevalent over the next five years.   Air Source Heat Pumps: One of the main solutions to low carbon heating are air source heat pumps which…

Gas water heaters transformed homes in the 1940s and have evolved into the gas central heating systems we have in our homes today. However, gas boilers will now be banned in new homes from 2025 under the Future Homes Standard in order to reduce the carbon footprint of home heating. Whist this is only affecting new-builds, this brings into question the energy efficiency of our existing housing stock. Retrofitting a new heating system to replace our old gas boiler can be a challenge due to site constrains and local regulations. Improvements might also require planning permission depending on the type of system and whether it requires external units. There a government schemes, such as the Renewable Heat Incentive, which encourage homeowners to replace oil and gas central heating with renewable alternatives. In this article, we have explored some more sustainable heating solutions that can be retrofitted into your home relatively…

Albany Wiseman, an artist, long standing Bloomsbury resident and friend of us all at Rodić Davidson, has died aged 90. Albany lived for 45 years in Montague Street and was prolific in his work, continuing until only very recently to observe and draw from his desk which was positioned adjacent to the tall first floor window over-looking Montague Street and the east wing of the British Museum. We moved to Pied Bull Yard in 2013 and, at the time, Albany had a small studio behind J H Andrew's electrical contractors at 70 Great Russell Street. The rear door opened directly into Pied Bull Yard, facing south, and Albany would sit outside in the morning sun, often with a pencil and paper, and absorb and record his beloved Bloomsbury. He didn't need to travel far: Bury Food and Wine for milk and provisions, the London Review Cake Shop for mid-morning coffee…

Rodić Davidson Architects have gained planning consent for the conversion and extension of former courtyard barns into two private dwellings in Suffolk. The existing buildings, a mid-19th century complex of typical Suffolk agricultural barns, have been noted to provide a positive contribution to the landscape in this area for their traditional build, character and their relationship to the existing farmhouse. The disused Suffolk barns currently form four wings around a central, hard landscaped courtyard. The division of the site into two properties will allow each to have their own secluded garden within the existing courtyard as well as larger gardens opening out to the wider landscape. The eastern wing of the farmstead will be converted into a residential annexe and extended to provide a new garage building, both serving the main farmhouse and completing the courtyard of buildings. The development has been designed to ensure that the character of the…

We are delighted and proud to announce that Andrew Watson has become an Associate at Rodić Davidson. Andrew joined Rodić Davidson in 2014 and has worked on many notable projects including Listed Farmhouse, Suffolk and Sartor House, Chelsea Andrew is a talented, diligent and committed architect and, above all, a trusted and loyal colleague and friend.