Shortlisted for Building Project of the Year: Lakehouse shows that an addition doesn’t merely have to be an extension

Lowther Children’s Centre, London submitted by Lakehouse

Patel Taylor’s small and simple pavilion is a spirited and joyous addition to an existing, much larger school. Yet despite its size it never tries to adopt the appearance or configuration of an extension. This is rigorously defined as a new building with an independent character of its own. Clad in white render and comprising clean lines,
full-height glazing and strident horizontal massing, it immediately distinguishes itself from the brickwork of its older neighbour by skilfully recalling the simplicity of early modernism. Its continuous, mono-pitch roof with its dramatic overhangs and slender profile are all strong yet remarkably graceful features that also provide an unmistakably contemporary feel. The building even deploys the mischievous spirit appropriate to its function by spelling out its name in oversized wooden letters beside the entrance -
all of which are dramatically submerged under a thrusting horizontal canopy. Lakehouse is a powerful yet elegant building.

Project team

Client: London Borough of Richmond
Architect: Patel Taylor
Contractor: Lakehouse Contracts
Structural Engineer: Alan Conisbee & Associates

Each day in the lead up to the Building Awards ceremony next month, we will profile one of the finalists in the Project of the Year and Public Building Project of the Year. The winners will be announced as the Building Awards ceremony taking place on April 7. To book a table at the Building Awards visit the web site here.