Planting a green paradise up on the roof
Renowned London designers build massive, stepped garden atop their house/studio space
A pair of top British artists and costume makers wanted a truly unique design when they decided to create a new home and studio space.
Patrick Whitaker and Keir Malem, partners at Whitaker Malem, have worked for clients including former fashion icon Alexander McQueen and created costumes for films including Harry Potter, Batman and Wonder Woman.
The couple knew it would be tough to get approval for a new home on the site of their mid-’90s-era, singlelevel workshop in the De Beauvoir Conservation Area, north of London. So, after a four-year search, they chose architects Hayhurst and Co., who came up with Garden House with a growing roof that won over the municipality.
The home has two floors: the lower level with the couple’s living room, winter garden, bedroom, kitchen, utility room and bathroom as well as storage and display for their art collection on custom-made white steel shelving that flows into a steel staircase. The main level houses their studio, which is also used as a fitting room for clients and as gallery space for private exhibitions of the owners’ work. What makes Garden House stand out is its gardens that rise in a stairlike design on one side at 45 degrees and on the second side at a steeper 30-degree angle. The garden steps hold more than 800 sedums and heathers. Residents get to the roof from the first floor studio.
Surrounding the roof is a large gutter that also provides a fire escape for the home.
The home is about 900 square feet. Building materials include timber, oak panelling on upper floors and the kitchen, limestone cobble for the main floors and sheet steel for the furniture and shelving. Garden House cost £307,000 ($544,000). It took a year to build and was completed in 2015.
Jon Nicholls, with architects Hayhurst and Co., in London, answers a few questions about Garden House.
How did the roof help to get the green light to build from the local government?
By proposing a green roof, it was obviously more esthetically pleasing to the neighbours who were looking down on it from their two- or threestorey townhouses. Also, from a planning perspective, it’s more ecological, provides a habitat for local wildlife and it benefitted the environment in contrast to the flat roof of bitumen that was there previously.
Ahabitat for wildlife?
Small insects and bees, as well as urban foxes and cats.
How is the roof constructed?
Our clients were very clear they didn’t just want a blanket roof — they wanted more of a garden roof than a green roof. So through a series of workshops, we tested out details and developed a system of steel trays that could house the different plants. The roof has a fibreglass membrane, a bit like the upturned body of a boat, which provides the waterproofing to the house.
Over that there’s a series of ribs built of oak which provides longevity, also encased in plastic resin, and then over those ribs we installed the steel trays that are lapped as a series of tiles. They have drainage holes determined on what provides best drainage and were tested out in the summer period with the plants in the trays to make sure they wouldn’t overheat or just dry up. A textile fleece provides excellent drainage.
What challenges did you encounter?
One was how to create new space, which was also a planning challenge, but also how we could create light (interior) space — a well-lit space. We had to respond to these restrictions to not restrict the natural light or outlook of the neighbours. It was a complex site because it was down the back of all these houses and it was only accessible through a narrow passage of 800 millimetres, which was just under three feet.
“(The green roof is) more ecological, provides a habitat for local wildlife and it benefitted the environment in contrast to the flat roof of bitumen that was there previously.” JON NICHOLLS HAYHURST AND CO.
The designer-homeowners, Patrick Whitaker and Keir Malem, share their thoughts about Garden House.
What is it like to live in your home?
It’s very different from what it used to be. Originally, we had a combined studio/living area and therefore no real escape from our work. We love the bedroom, which adjoins the entrance/atrium with its myriad reflections from the mirror panelling — passing light through the glass doors. It’s also interesting having a minimalist life in the home; if you can’t find something it’s generally really not there!
What is your favourite part?
As a single element, we love the stone floor which runs through the whole ground floor, from the outside entrance gate to the back of the bathroom on one level, as a continuous flat surface.
What is it like to garden on your roof?
It’s basically micro-specimen gardening, like bonsai, therefore weeds are an issue. Access is OK, but you need to follow the stepping stone areas carefully. We’re really just beginning to find out which plants are happy in the planting. Wet soil then frost in winter is the No. 1 issue and sempervivum (hens and chicks) are the plants doing the best.