住宅丨英国剑桥丨Neil Dusheiko Architects

A large picture window draws focus to a Gothic church beside this house extension in Cambridgeshire, completed by London studio Neil Dusheiko Architects.

Named Church House, the extension project was designed for a family relocating to South Cambridgeshire from London, who were particularly drawn to the presence of the Grade-II* listed Gothic church next to the home's conservation area site.

Neil Dusheiko Architects reconfigured both the main home and an adjacent coach house in its garden, with their layouts, openings and material palette all informed by the presence of the church.

Neil Dusheiko Architects has extended a home in Cambridgeshire

"The project is a quiet dialogue between old and new, creating a contemporary home that feels rooted in its setting," studio director Neil Dusheiko told Dezeen.

"We wanted to create an architectural composition that brings together three distinct characters on a single domestic stage," he added.

"Church House, the Coach House and the Grade II*-listed church opposite now form a kind of spatial trinity, held in gentle dialogue across garden and sky."

A large picture window frames a neighbouring church

Due to its conservation area setting, the front elevation of the home remains largely untouched, with the extension tucked at the rear, containing a sunken dining area.

Pale brickwork was used for the extension and left exposed on the interior alongside a ceiling of oak beams, chosen to tie the new spaces in with both the brickwork of the existing home and the timber beams of the church hall.

A sunken dining area is housed within the extension

While small in size, this extension allowed the home's original plan to be reconfigured, with views of the church immediately framed upon entering through a large, open kitchen space.

A series of living spaces is organised at the front of the home, while the first floor layout was kept largely the same, with the creation of a new ensuite bathroom for the main bedroom and updated interior finishes to match the spaces below.

"The dining room is the defining moment," Dusheiko said. "Large-format glazing frames the church tower directly in view, the floor drops to create a more intimate ceiling height, and the garden wraps around on two sides."

"It is a space that could only exist in this exact place, completely specific to its setting, and that kind of specificity is what we are always working towards," he added.

Pale brickwork is paired with a ceiling of oak beams

The adjacent coach house has also been reconfigured to function as a flexible playroom, studio and garden room.

Finished with the same oak joinery as the main home and overlooking the garden and church from built-in window seats on the first floor.

An ensuite bathroom was created for the main bedroom

Dusheiko founded his eponymous studio in London in 2011.

Previous residential projects by Neil Dusheiko Architects include the extension of a home in Kent with a minimal glazed pavilion and a charred-timber extension designed to bring its owner "closer to nature".

The photography is by Taran Wilkhu.