Southwark Council’s planning committee unanimously voted to approve our two dwelling scheme located on a secluded plot of land in the heart of Dulwich. The proposals are located on a very sensitive site in the Dulwich Village Conservation area and within the former grounds of a grade II listed manor house. Discretion was key to the success of the designs with the site being overlooked on many sides. Irregular geometric forms, determined by the site constraints, create two unique building forms that make careful use of a valuable site that would otherwise remain undeveloped.

At the core of our practice is a deep interest and understanding of historic building techniques that stems from a conviction that, prior to taking on any contemporary design, we should first look back to tried and tested building methods before looking forward to modern invention. With this in mind we were delighted when our capabilities in handling historic buildings were recognised with our appointment for the careful restoration of this highly prestigious building. This run of terraces was designed by architect and co-founder of the Arts and Crafts Movement, Philip Webb. Alongside craftsman and designer William Morris, Webb pioneered an architectural movement which ardently fought against the rapid rise of manufactured consumer products (a direct by-product of the Industrial Revolution), and instead sought to advocate skilled craftsmanship and the production of unique, beautiful products. With a grade II* listing status we look forward to working on this unique building.

The last year has seen many projects reach significant milestones at Kyson. Here are a selection of images summarising our achievements for 2019.

After 18 months of construction our Lower Marsh Hotel in Lambeth is soon to reach practical completion. This building forms part of our overall masterplan for the surrounding Lower Marsh Conservation Area which seeks to integrate the site back into its historic streetscape with a contemporary interpretation of established design principles. The irregular language of individual façades overlay the ordered and subtle articulation beneath thus creating a building that is perceived as one and many, in reference to the original streetscape articulation.

Having submitted an appeal to the planning inspectorate following the refusal of our new ecclesiastical and hotel development in Lambeth, we are pleased to announce that the Local Authority’s decision has been overturned and that planning permission has now been granted. We look forward to progressing with the technical delivery of the scheme.

Works are now complete on our Shoreditch High Street office development. In an area characterised by Victorian warehouse architecture, scars from the WWII blitz and subsequent postwar developments, our proposal for this former petrol station site seeks to reinstate the historic streetscape of Shoreditch High Street.

Works have begun on the second phase of our renovation of the Grade II Listed ITF House project in Borough, London. The stripping back of the building to reveal the existing structure provides insight into the building’s previous development of construction.

Following lengthy discussions with the local council Studio Kyson are pleased to have been granted planning permission for an office development along a prime thoroughfare linking the City of London and Tower Hamlets. This project gives the tired existing office block a new lease of life. Retaining and extending the existing structure, a new form has been created, with the structure expressed through a hierarchy of form based on the principles of Classical Order. Through its use of materials and form the building mediates between the two distinctive, surrounding character areas.

The proposal is currently being progressed through RIBA Stage 3 Developed Design.

Studio Kyson are proud to be shortlisted (again!) for the CIAT Alan King Awards 2019 (for projects up to £750k) for The Treehouse.

The installation was undertaken as a practice-wide Research and Development project and culminated in an installation, designed and crafted by members of Studio Kyson, that formed the centrepiece of Kyson’s exhibition Beneath the Veneer in 2016. This followed a body of detailed research started in 2010 into an ancient Japanese method of weatherproofing called Shou Sugi Ban and its relevance today. This project looks beyond modern inventions and considers the revival of the more rudimentary techniques that proved so effective many years ago.

We look forward with anticipation to the award ceremony in September!

Studio Kyson are proud to be shortlisted for the CIAT Architectural Technologist Awards 2019 for our renovation and extension of a former Edwardian fire station. The Fire Station was taken from a near derelict state and converted in to a set of modern offices across the upper floors with Public House at ground level.

We look forward with anticipation to the award ceremony in September!

Following the refusal of Kyson’s new ecclesiastical and hotel development in Lambeth, the client team have successfully compiled and submitted an appeal to the planning inspectorate, with a view to having the Local Authority’s decision overturned. The design of the scheme was signed off by Lambeth in terms of its height, scale and massing, acknowledging the design had taken steps to mitigate its impact on the surrounding context in terms of amenity, but land use for the hotel element of the scheme remained a moot point of contention. It is for this reason the appeal has been lodged, to appeal against the intended change of use on this part of the site, from Church and Community use to Hotel use. We shall continue to monitor how the appeal develops in the coming months.

Planning permission has been granted on our Yorkton Street office project. The concept marries a solid monolithic base with a timber saw-tooth roof structure that references the architectural language of the surrounding historic building forms. The design introduces a new arrangement of fenestration to all elevations, creating new visual relationships with the surrounding buildings.

A striking choice of materials creates an assured presence on the street - the base, along with the front primary bay, is constructed from unique, charcoal-pigmented clay bricks, with charred timber cladding above. A bespoke anodised metal staircase provides a sculptural connection between the upper and lower masses. A combination of flush glazing and deep-recessed windows introduces intermittent, punctured articulation to each elevation.

Along with 300 UK architect practices, Studio Kyson has signed an open letter declaring a climate and biodiversity emergency. Buildings and construction account for nearly 40% of energy-related carbon dioxide emissions and have a significant impact on our natural habitats. This letter declares our commitment to minimising the impact our building work has on the climate and biodiversity loss. To view the letter please go to www.architectsdeclare.com

We are pleased to have completed Phase 1 of our refurbishment of the Grade II listed former factory now used as the Headquarters for the International Trade Workers Federation. The refurbishment works have included the reinstatement of the historic open work-floors whilst celebrating the Victorian craftsmanship of riveted ironwork, brickwork and vaulted ceilings. The new material palette pays homage to the building’s heritage utilising a natural palette of clay plaster, timber and steel-framed glazed screens.

We are pleased to have completed Phase 1 of our refurbishment of the Grade II listed former factory now used as the Headquarters for the International Trade Workers Federation. The refurbishment works have included the reinstatement of the historic open work-floors whilst celebrating the Victorian craftsmanship of riveted ironwork, brickwork and vaulted ceilings. The new material palette pays homage to the building’s heritage utilising a natural palette of clay plaster, timber and steel-framed glazed screens.

We are delighted to have recently finished our sensitive refurbishment of a late Georgian building within London’s Mayfair Conservation Area. This project saw the introduction of a new apartment designed with minimalist intentions. Exposed historic floorboards and timber beams offset against a neutral, modern material palette.

With every building project there will always be set-backs along the way, particularly with developments on sensitive sites and with designs that seek to set a new architectural precedent for the area. This has been the case with our Lambeth Mission Church development near to London’s landmark Imperial War Museum. After two years of design development and negotiation with the church client, the Greater London Authority, the local community and Lambeth Council we have yet to obtain planning permission for our new ecclesiastical and hotel development, with the design being refused at planning committee. At Kyson we endeavour to meet the needs of our clients and are fully committed to working with the key stakeholders in appealing the decision. We view this set-back as a key point along the lifetime of this project and look forward to seeing how the project develops in the coming months.

Studio Kyson have been announced as finalists for the Office Category for BD’s Architect of the Year Award. Our submission incorporates two of our most recent office developments in Shoreditch and our successful One Pear Place multi-use project.