Mill Lodge
by Michael Kendrick Architects
Client Private
Awards RIBA West Midlands Award 2022
Mill lodge makes excellent use of a constrained and slender site within the Leamington Spa Conservation Area. It is a contemporary, one-bedroom dwelling that succeeds in making life easier for an elderly couple, while not compromising on design quality.
Every room in Mill Lodge is designed to be both accessible and functional for an environmentally concerned elderly couple, with the ground floor open plan kitchen and dining area sitting at the heart of the house, overlooking the south facing walling garden for two keen gardeners. The architect had to work hard and smart with the manipulation of both spaces and light to maximise the limited site. The design of the joinery and fittings has been carefully designed to ensure efficiency and flexibility for the occupants, with a series of roof lights to create a feeling of openness throughout the interior.
The hard working, efficient internal layout is kept simple, with one main room per floor and no corridors. Throughout, the house carefully integrates a number of accessible features such as level thresholds, stair balustrade detailing which doubles as a secondary handrail, an extra-wide landing which is flooded with light for the occupant to use as a reading space. In combination all creating a home for elderly parents, enabling them to maintain independence in their later years, with the support of family close by.
Despite the cramped urban conditions, Mill House is designed to feel light, airy and connected to nature, with genuinely thoughtful references to neighbours and the area’s architectural traditions. A clever intervention for a pocket of abandoned land at the end of the street, it has emerged as a resilient, contemporary neighbour and a beautiful family home.
Net internal area 75.00 m²
Contractor Ward Burges
Structural Engineer (below ground) Ian Harban Consulting Engineers
Structural Engineer (above ground) Timber Innovations
Planning Consultant Donna Savage Planning
