Published: February 23, 2012
PROPERTY NEWS by DAN CARRIER

A SHIPPING container clad in scrap wood that has been turned into an office for a charity and an internal refit of one of Camden’s most iconic pieces of architecture are two winning entries in a competition hosted by design centre New London Architecture (NLA) – and this weekend they are offering the chance for readers of the New Journal to speak to the winners and get free advice on how you can improve your home.

The NLA, based in Store Street, Bloomsbury, is hosting “Don’t Move, Improve” – a day of free talks, seminars and one-to-one advice sessions from architects, designers buil­ders and other experts on how to make the most of where you currently live.

Architects talking about their work include  Soraya Khan of Theis and Khan (RIBA Stirling Award 2010 nominee), Mary Duggan of Duggan Morris, and Alan Higgs of Alan Higgs Architects, who will be taking part in a series of “design inspiration” talks, presenting their own experiences of designing and building home extensions in the capital.

NLA chairman Peter Murray, who judged the competition to find London’s best extensions, refits and interior redesigns, said with house sales low, badly insulated homes contributing to global warming and a city that has run out of space, home-owners need to consider imaginative answers to improving the place they live in.

“It will be full of ideas of what you can do to your house,” says Mr Murray. “It does not have to be a brick lean-to attached to the back of the house. It is really about interesting ways to make houses fit in with their neighbours.”

He added that with such a range of experts, offering one-to one-advice sessions and a series of general talks on topics such as making sure you design and work to a budget, it does not necessarily mean adding to the house at all – simply making the most of what you have already.

“There are so many inventive ways of doing relatively small work that will improve your home incredibly,”  he says. “For example, designers can offer ideas on how to bring light into houses.”

He said there were simple but crucial steps you should take when looking at having changes made to your home, adding: “The most important thing is too find an good architect.

“Do your homework: look at previous projects. Find someone with similar ideas and similar tastes to yourself. And always speak to your neighbours – make sure they are involved every step of the way, and remember to treat them how you would like them to treat you.”

One of the winning competition entries was by Carl Turner Architects. They designed a new office for a not-for-
profit education project called Magnificent Revolutions, which promotes better use of energy.

Designer Carl Turner fitted out an old shipping container, cladding it with recycled wood from shipping pallets, and tipping the roof off with a self-seeding wild flower garden.

He said: “They had a budget of £7,000 and that is not a lot of money, so it had to be a low-tech solution. It is very simple – and very joyful. It shows what you can do with a little bit of ingenuity.”

• The exhibition Don’t Move, Improve runs until March 28.

• The NLA’s Free Home Improvements day is on Saturday at their Store Street headquarters, W1.