Friars
by Mole Architects
Client Mr and Mrs King
Awards RIBA East Award 2022
Taken on as something of a rescue project, the restoration of this derelict Grade-II listed building revealed a rich and varied history. In addition to sensitively revealing the delights of a decidedly characterful and intriguing 16th-century house, Mole Architects have added a wholly contemporary addition as an effective foil.
The beautifully restored house is now secure in its commanding position over the River Ouse floodplain, while the new extension – similar in volume to the original, but subsidiary and slightly rotated in plan – sits back, further up the garden with fluid and well-judged separation. The new addition provides a set of spaces – kitchen, garden room and master bedroom – that are complementary but quite different in character from the spaces of the original house.
This is a great example of sympathetic, progressive conservation, with a clear editorial approach, that clearly shows areas of mending and new intervention.
Designed to Passivhaus standards, the dwelling’s enhanced building fabric ensures a measured energy performance that addresses the RIBA 2025 benchmark. It also has received significant attention in terms of the bio-based materials used, with the inclusion of wood fibre insulation commendable given the significant restrictions posed by the listing. The most significant carbon credential of the project, however, is the strategy to restore and reuse the Grade-II listed building, which has given it an extended life and added value to the surrounding community.
Contractor F A Valiant & Son
Structural Engineer Conisbee
Internal area 402 m2
