The Reclaimed Annex

This project began as a redundant Victorian wash house—solid, well-built, but no longer fit for purpose.

Rather than demolish and replace, the structure was carefully dismantled. Materials were retained, catalogued, and reintroduced into a new construction.

The building was reconstructed as a highly insulated timber frame annexe, combining traditional material with contemporary performance.

The result is not a copy of the original, but a continuation of it, preserving material memory while upgrading thermal performance and usability.

The proposal was supported in principle as an ancillary residential annexe, aligned with national guidance promoting multigenerational living and more efficient use of existing sites.

The annexe remains subordinate to the main dwelling, ensuring it functions as part of a single household rather than an independent unit.