Clere Street, London EC2

Introduction
Accommodation
History
Download floorplan (pdf)

In an article about the apartment in the Architects' Journal, Ruth Slavid outlined some of the problems that were overcome to realise this ambitious project:

"Initially, the architect [Mike Tonkin of Tonkin Liu] thought that it might be possible to access the rooftop through the building below, but that would have involved reopening an old lift and too much disruption to the residents. The solution adopted involved: buying the building's Roof Light; getting two lots of Rights of Light – one for the building and one for the link bridge; purchasing part of the freehold; and negotiating use of the lift in the adjoining building.

"Structural engineer Expedition Engineering also had a demanding task. The existing roof could not take any additional load, so the new steel structure transfers all the load through the existing brick piers. The apartment is suspended from the structure, giving it entirely column-free spaces."

In a piece for the New York Times, Sam Lubell highlighted the inevitable planning issues. Convincing Hackney council that the scheme would blend into its surroundings was a "three-year process" .

Yet the result of all of this hard work is, says Ruth Slavid, "both surprising and delightful. Spend a little time [in the apartment] and you begin to see other flat-roofed blocks as somehow unfinished. Homes in the sky have never looked so appealing."

Writing in the Telegraph Magazine, Dominic Bradbury also hailed the apartment's success: "To conjure up a home from thin air is quite a trick. But when it has to be performed on the rooftop of an existing, five-storey building, then it becomes much more of a challenge. Yet [the owners] have done just that, creating a two-level penthouse on top of a former Victorian warehouse… The space… is rather extraordinary."

Describing the apartment's accommodation, Ruth Slavid writes, "The upper floor is open plan, arranged around a central bathroom pod that has translucent walls and a skylight with a metal-halide light above it that can project shadows of raindrops…

"Dimensions are determined by maximum manufacturing sizes. The floor-to-ceiling height is 3.9m – the tallest double-glazed K-glass argon-filled units available are 4m high, and the units are also pushed to their maximum width of 2.4m

"The lower level is set back, and also down below the existing parapet. Its five bedrooms open directly on to decking, enclosed by metal mesh up which wisteria and clematis cirrhosa are trained. Tonkin Liu, having looked at more exotic alternatives, chose a simple mesh often specified for prisons – and therefore unclimbable by children. This planted mesh will become a green enclosure, and a veil for the building. Coupled with double layers of blinds on the upper floor it provides adequate privacy for such an isolated space…

"Although the main reason for the setback was to create a usable amount of outdoor space outside the [lower] bedrooms, it also helps with the ventilation of the upper floor. Anna Liu describes a grille in the underside of the overhang as a 'nostril'. It will open automatically in hot weather, pulling in cool air which will travel up through the tall upper floor and vent at the top, providing a degree of stack-effect ventilation."

Tonkin Liu is a London-based architectural practice founded by Mike Tonkin, who trained at the Royal College of Art, and Anna Liu, who was educated at Columbia University in New York.  The practice has undertaken a number of public and private projects, and formed part of the 40 Under 40 exhibition at the V&A, which showcased the work of Britain's most exciting young architects. The Roof Garden Apartment is Tonkin Liu's third private house.

Richard Rogers was awarded the Pritzker Prize in 2007 in recognition of his outstanding contribution to architecture.