27 May 2021

We’re delighted to be starting another new project! This 1930s mid-terrace is an identical house type to our Croft Road project but is based in Wolvercote, north Oxford. Carrying out the measured survey was a surreal experience, as it felt like going back in time to our project pre-extension. Our client saw what we had achieved at Croft Road, and with the knowledge that these houses are very solidly built, purchased the property with aspirations to carry out a similar transformation.

The proposal will come in the form of a single-storey rear extension and loft conversion. The existing house has an east-west orientation, which means it receives sun in the mornings and evenings, but not much in between. The ground floor extension will be an opportunity to introduce south-facing sun via a series of rooflights. Meanwhile, the loft conversion will open up new views to the west, which hadn’t previously existed, out to the beautiful Port Meadow and sunsets beyond.

As architects, we love turning ordinary houses into extraordinary spaces. We will always suggest ways to prepare them responsibly for the future. Talk to us if you have a project in mind.

20 May 2021

Paola has been appointed to the Oxford Design Review Panel! The ODRP was established in 2014 and is delivered by a partnership between Oxford City Council and Design South East. “Design Review is an independent and impartial evaluation process conducted by a panel of built environment experts and is an essential part of the planning process, Design Review Panels promote high quality design to help create better buildings, streets and public spaces in the city.”

Paola’s vast experience in both practice and academia, her expertise in sustainability, and her good working knowledge of Oxford make her a strong member of the expert panel. Paola also provides Sow Space with a strong offering in design and technical proficiency, not only on the projects that she’s involved in, but also as a part of wider quality management within the practice. We have regular reviews on best practice, especially on the technical aspects of low energy retrofit.

Our team and collaborators bring a wide range of skills and experience to the practice. Talk to us if you have aspirations for an architectural project with a low energy and ecological impact.

13 May 2021

We’ve been awarded our first project outside of Oxford. And where is it? Cambridge! We don’t stray far from ancient university cities it seems. Despite being in another city, the site is a very familiar 1930s semi. We’ll be helping our client with a major extension project, extending on two storeys to the side and rear, while also converting the loft. The first task was to check if the existing extension can be retained to accommodate another storey, but alas the foundations aren’t suitable.

A new bike store and electric car charging point, with access to the drive and street, will be located at the front of the extension. Behind this naturally sit the utilitarian-type spaces, which will lead out on to an east-facing kitchen diner, opening onto the rear garden with access to morning and early afternoon sun. As a floor plan grows, central spaces inevitably become more enclosed and darker. The key will be to maintain access to daylight, whilst capturing views into the distance.

It’s those magical moments in the form of framed views and light filled spaces that can make a home feel truly special. Talk to us if you’d like a creative architect to help fulfil those aspirations.

06 May 2021

Another planning permission gained for an extension and retrofit project in Oxford! As a neighbour of a previous client, this house type is identical to the previous project. While the council’s policy on daylight influences the form of the extension, the layout is completely different. This shows that there is no ‘one size fits all’ solution to extension projects. Each individual client will have their own personal ideas and requirements, and only a bespoke design will fulfil their brief.

In this case, the client was tired of the lack of storage space for coats, shoes, and the general clutter of family life. We turned what was the old kitchen into a dedicated storage room, with school locker style units for each member of the family. There was still space left over for a WC, utility room, and a space for the cats! Meanwhile, the former dining room has had the door blocked to create a private home office, with glazed doors that open out onto the new light and airy extension.

We worked closely with our client to come up with this transformative proposal. We will look at retrofit solutions to improve thermal comfort too. Talk to us about your low impact architectural project.

22 April 2021

Happy Earth Day! Here’s a concept sketch for our recently announced feasibility for a new net zero carbon dwelling overlooking a meadow. The site is next to a number of existing rear gardens. One challenge is to protect these gardens from overlooking. We’ve done this by carefully orientating all windows to face away from the gardens. This happens to be approximately south-facing, which will be ideal for maximising passive solar gain, natural light, and views over the meadow.

While we’ve looked at various options to work around existing trees on site, some of them will inevitably have to be removed. New landscaping proposals will ensure that there is a net gain in biodiversity across the site and adjacent gardens. We have proposed for the development to be car-free, as it’s within close proximity to public transport routes. An electric charging point can be connected to the roof-mounted PV array, which can be used for other modes of transport.

A planning pre-app has just been submitted, so we hope to get some useful feedback in the coming months. Talk to us if you have a low impact project in mind, whether it’s a new build or retrofit.

08 April 2021

Planning permission granted! This single-storey rear extension in Oxford will be a bit special, with a semi-intensive green roof that will have wild flowers growing all over it. Not only will this create a stunning outlook from the first-floor bedrooms, but the bees will absolutely love it. The large roof overhang will act as a brise soleil, blocking out the high summer sun on this south-facing elevation, while also accommodating a hidden gutter and rain chain to water the planter box below.

A large rooflight and full-height glazing will allow plenty of natural light to enter the middle space, which can become dark in these types of extension if not considered carefully. Floor to ceiling glazing with an overhang can be tricky to achieve, where the steel beam above bisects what would have been oversailing rafters. In this case, the structural engineer came up with a neat solution to strap rafters either side of the steel to prevent the need for any steel structure within the overhang.

Minimising the use of steel in a building helps reduce its embodied energy. We will always consider alternative materials and solutions to reduce environmental impact. Talk to us about how this can be done.

01 April 2021

Our new architect signboards have arrived! It’s great timing to have had our new logo developed and signboards made, ready for the spring and a number of projects starting on site. We’ve had (and still have) a bottleneck of projects aiming for the ideal spring / summer start. Winter’s generally not a good time to start due to the low temperatures in January and February. Concrete and masonry work should not happen when the air temperature is below or likely to fall below 2°C.

Our signboards are made from polypropylene, which has a low environmental impact and is fully recyclable. We spent a long time researching and thinking about which material to use, avoiding the highly toxic PVC Foamex, and the potential-to-be-stolen Dibond. We looked at timber-based solutions too, which were heavy, expensive and unlikely to weather well. In the end, we felt that polypropylene gave the right balance between durability, cost, and environmental impact.

Keep an eye out for them going up on our construction sites around Oxford. Talk to us if you’d like to appoint an architect that specialises in sustainable buildings and ecological design.

25 March 2021

As part of our scope of services, we are capturing before and after thermographic images of our deep retrofit project in east Oxford. Thermography records the surface temperature of elements rather than the light reflected, as standard photography does. These images use the colour scale from yellow (warmest) to purple (coldest), regardless of what those temperatures are. When reviewing the images, it’s important to remember that different photos have different scales.

This entrance door loses heat through conduction via the door itself, and in particular the single-glazed elements, but also through cold air infiltration. This is visible at the corners of the door especially when compared to the fixed glazing above the door, which loses heat through the glass but not at the junctions with the wall. A new door and frame may be the most energy efficient solution to improve this building element. It will be very interesting to see the post-retrofit results!

A pre and post retrofit POE will give us a true picture of the success of this project. Thermography is just one part of that picture. Talk to us about how POE can provide a tailored solution to your retrofit project.

18 March 2021

Planning permission secured for another extension project in Oxford! This simple two-storey side extension turns what was a typical 3-bedroom (more like 2.5 bedroom) semi into a 4-double-bedroom family home. One of the bedrooms will have a mezzanine play area, making the most of the vaulted ceiling space within the new roof, which would otherwise have been more loft space. Meanwhile, additional living and home office space have been created at ground floor level.

Often, the planners will not approve two-storey side extensions for semi-detached houses. Or if they do, they will ask that the upper storey is set back to maintain the prominence of the width of the original house, and thus the local urban grain. However, it will depend on what’s been approved and built historically, as this particular street had a number of properties that had been extended in this flush manner. This made it much easier to justify the design and gain an approval.

This extension not only adds more space, but maximises south sun to the rear, while the porch creates a thermal buffer to the main house. Talk to us if you’d like to do something similar to your property.

11 March 2021

We have a new logo! We’re excited to unveil our new branding to the world. So, what does it mean? The word ‘sow’ represents the beginnings of a new idea. As architects, designers, and researchers – although our work is as much about the journey – the end product that we create is space. So, let’s sow space. Let’s sow spaces that are beautiful and inspiring, with a low environmental and ecological impact. Let’s sow space that makes a positive change to our built environment.

As well as subtly spelling out the letters that make up ‘sow’, the icon represents a number of concepts that align with our ethos. Regenerative design – describing processes that restore, renew, or revitalise their own sources of energy and materials – is embodied within the infinity symbol that is the letter ‘S’. The triple bottom line (of sustainability) is a Venn diagram, representing the idea that a balance of all elements results in the best and most well-rounded solution.

Thank you, Van Tan, for your graphic design skills and your patience. Keep an eye out for our branding roll out and do get in touch about any architectural projects that align with our ethos.