Nimi Attanayake Nimtim Architects
One half of Nimtim Architects, Attanayake sees windows as a way to illuminate while framing views
As a qualified garden designer and head of Nimtim Architect’s landscapes department, Nimi Attanayake is fascinated by the wellbeing benefits that come with access to natural light and exposure to green spaces. ‘We try to maximise daylight to create better quality for physical health and mental wellbeing, while also being sensitive to the immediate climate emergency,’ she says. As such, the studio, which was shortlisted for the Don’t Move, Improve! 2023 award, redesigns existing gardens as well as re-arranging interior spaces. In projects from Peckham to Southwark, slot windows (rectangular panes of glass, either vertical or horizontal) and picture windows (large windows that don’t open) are a feature in its extensions. They appear in place of walls and open up the houses to the outside without taking up as much space as a door that opens outwards – particularly useful in London’s highly congested urban areas. If you want your garden to be the focus of your extension, maybe a well-placed window is the answer.
Expert advice
Attanayake’s tips for placing windows
Consider the composition your window will look out on. Each project is different, so it’s about understanding what’s important to clients, what they like about their garden and their relationship to it. Are there existing features, such as a tree, that could be framed? Are there steps or slopes in the garden that may offer an interesting view? Slot windows frame the landscape/garden in a way that can be quite poetic – they capture the different layers of the natural world: undergrowth, canopy, sky and so on perfectly.
Take into account the extra solar gain (an increase in temperature in a building due to increased exposure to sunlight). Tinted glass, blinds or curtains and external shading in the shape of shutters or awnings are great at reducing the heat, as are more architectural tools such as deep window reveals or louvres. At a recent project, we sand-blasted the glazing on the side extension to make it opaque, which reduced the solar gain and added privacy while still allowing daylight into the space.
Don’t just think about windows to the outside – sightlines through the house are as important. Depending on the layout, they can often provide long views, sometimes all the way from your front door. When we work with clients, we explore how existing spaces are used and how people live/work/play together. Then, we look at how this might be improved and think about creating connections between these spaces and the exterior. ➤