St John’s Orchard

St John’s Orchard
© Edmund Sumner

ST JOHN’S ORCHARD

John Smart Architects

STRUCTURAL ENGINEER
Cooper Associates

PHOTOGRAPHS
Edmund Sumner, Simon Ellis, Tim Crocker

AREA
4000.0 ft2

YEAR
2014

LOCATION
Greater London, United Kingdom

CATEGORY
Renovation

CONTEXT

Set within a tree lined neighbourhood in South London; a distinctive local landmark has been attentively refurbished and crafted into four elegant houses. The Old St John’s Convent and Orchard at 17 Grove Park has been.

Given a fresh lease of life through combining the rich history of the original Victorian building with new contemporary spaces and interventions. Each house is set over 5 floors and spans over 4000 square feet.

St John’s Orchard
© Tim Crocker
St John’s Orchard
© Edmund Sumner

THE GREAT ROOM FLOOR

Conceived as an open single space, the Great Room Floor provides three distinct areas within the original ground floor of the convent, whilst still maintaining an open dialogue across the floor.

LIBRARY

The oak library unit forms a central ‘furniture wall’ in the Great Room. Concealed full height doors allow space to flow freely around it, creating a fluid space.

The fumed oak joinery relates to the fumed oak stair, bringing the verticality of the central core into the spatial dynamic.

St John’s Orchard
© Tim Crocker
St John’s Orchard
© Simon Ellis

STAIRCASE DESIGN

The five-storey oak stair is constructed using staves of standard section sizes that were laminated into a bespoke form.

Crafted in a workshop, the elements were assembled on-site into a seamless flight that rises through the core of the house.

Detailing is reduced to a minimum - just two types of wedged-shaped staves were used to achieve the inner and outer curves of the stair, which serves as both stringer and handrail.

St John’s Orchard
© Edmund Sumner
St John’s Orchard
© Simon Ellis

KITCHEN AND DINING

At the heart of each house is a cooking and dining space situated under a dramatic six-metre ‘double height’ void.  Framed by a full height oak window and sliding door, it has vistas onto the gardens and terrace beyond.

Inside merges with outside; giving a garden backdrop to cooking, eating and entertaining in one light-filled room. The double aspect space can be used to create two distinct atmospheres if desired, each with their own ambiance, for casual family dining and more structured formal dining.

St John’s Orchard
© Edmund Sumner
St John’s Orchard
© Edmund Sumner

A monolithic polished screed floor unifies the space while storage and utility are concealed neatly behind bespoke cupboards and timber clad walls.

The kitchen itself is crafted from fumed oak with framed black granite oak doors and an Italian white marble worktop.

St John’s Orchard
© Edmund Sumner


St John’s Orchard
Master Plan


St John’s Orchard
Elevation
St John’s Orchard
Elevation


St John’s Orchard
Section


St John’s Orchard
Lower Ground Floor Plan - Myrtle House
St John’s Orchard
Ground Floor Plan - Myrtle House
St John’s Orchard
Thir Floor Plan - Myrtle House
St John’s Orchard
Second Floor Plan - Myrtle House
St John’s Orchard
First Floor Plan - Myrtle House
St John’s Orchard
Roof Floor Plan - Myrtle House