Murray Street

The project presented another exercise in extracting maximum value from a site where others had set a modest precedent. Both neighbouring schemes on the same street had only managed to secure permission for single-bedroom dwellings — the constraints of separation distances, building lines and outlook seemingly setting a ceiling on ambition. This project set out to challenge that assumption.

By carefully pushing the rear elevation beyond the existing building line, and constructing a robust planning argument around separation distances to the properties behind, the scheme secured approval for a more generous layout — demonstrating that precedent is not always the limit it appears to be. The justification required close attention to the relationship between bulk, scale, and the amenity of neighbouring occupiers, but the case held firm.

The façade takes a deliberately contemporary stance, departing from the vernacular without ignoring it. Raked render with a terracotta glaze gives the elevation warmth and texture, drawing a conscious connection to the brick tones of the surrounding street without resorting to imitation. Considered planting built into the scheme — well-placed planters bringing foliage to what is an otherwise spare streetscape — softens the composition and gives the building a quiet civic generosity. All this creating a contemporary dwelling with a higher final value than this it joins.

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