Silvester Road

A rear extension in East Dulwich, with rooflights to bring light into the new space, and a pergola to finish the back garden.

Rooflights usually mean doubled-up timber trimmers around every opening, which can make a ceiling feel busy and heavy. We wanted the structure to look as good as it performs.

The team completed the structural works using glulam, an engineered laminated timber that is strong enough to do the job and handsome enough to leave on show. We installed a striking exposed glulam lattice across the rear extension. Glulam allowed single beam trimmers around the rooflights, for a more streamlined design and a lighter feel overhead. The timber was finished with Osmo varnish.

Every site has its characters. At Silvester Road, ours was Sylvester, a neighbourhood cat who appointed himself site manager. He popped by every morning to check on progress, mostly on his soon-to-be sunning spot: the back garden pergola.

A structure that holds the extension up and doubles as its most striking feature. The power of glulam, put to good use.