In pictures: Costa’s Barbers by Brisco Loran and Arrant Industries

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Source: Jim Stephenson

Running north from Clapham Junction, a street of shops and restaurants follows the course of the culverted Falconbrook River as it bends westward toward the Thames. The pedestrianised lower end of the street has held a Saturday market since the 1890s, with ground floor shops and flats above and to the rear.

Source: Jim Stephenson

Source: Jim Stephenson

The former retail space, accessed directly from the street, is conceived as a space to be worked in during the day but lived in outside of office hours. Reclaimed panelling, high-gloss paint and fitted opportunities for the display of products recall Victorian shopfitting or a traditional pie and mash shop.

Source: Jim Stephenson

To the rear of the shop, where the stalls for the street market were once stored, a second new façade addresses a courtyard shared with neighbours. The new ‘L-shaped’ fabric adds a window onto the side passage, creates an opening at the corner, and introduces a door from the larger bedroom to the yard.

Source: Jim Stephenson

Conceived as a textured white relief amongst the familiar London scene of tumbling masonry backs, and providing additional warmth to the bedrooms, the triple-glazed façade combines rendered insulation, metal trims and plastic metre boxes with pebbles gathered from the banks of the Thames.

Source: Jim Stephenson

Source: Jim Stephenson

Source: Jim Stephenson

Source: Jim Stephenson

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Brisco Loran Architects with Duncan Blackmore’s Arrant Industries have completed Costa’s Barbers, a previously vacant retail unit that has been reimagined as a versatile space for living, work, and trade.

The team were, collectively, the designers, builders and clients.

The scheme, located on Battersea High Street, developed out of a collaborative research project, resulting in a flexible home and studio, with Brisco Loran being the first occupant.

The project, initiated amidst the expansion of ‘retail to residential’ permitted development rights, aims to explore the integration of domestic and commercial activities within urban settings, promoting new forms of interaction and vitality on high streets.

A key feature is the traditional jettied timber façade, which is intended to complement the street’s aesthetic while accommodating new domestic functions within.

Central to the design are translucent sliding screens, incorporating hand-cut glass artworks by Pavilion Pavilion, offering privacy and adaptability for occupants.

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Source: Jim Stephenson

Source: Jim Stephenson

Source: Jim Stephenson

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Complementing these are conventional glazed sashes that can be adjusted for ventilation or opened fully to serve visitors during market days.

The shopfront is designed to engage with the surrounding community, fostering emotional connections and contributing to the street’s vitality.

From the installation of patterned glasswork to discussions about forgotten shops, the project aims to integrate seamlessly into the fabric of the street.

Visible from the street, the main ‘retail’ space doubles as a workspace during the day and living area outside office hours. The adjustable façade extends to the interior layout, accommodating various occupants and activities.

Moving towards the private rear, the space transitions through decreasing scales of rooms, marked by changes in floor-to-ceiling height. The design references the rugged aesthetics of traditional market shops, with reclaimed materials and finishes reflecting the area’s character.

At the rear, a second insulating façade provides warmth to the bedrooms and overlooks the shared yard, contributing to the area’s familiar urban landscape.

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High Street Nolli Plan

Source: Brisco Loran

Floor Plan

Source: Brisco Loran

Section

Source: Brisco Loran

Isometric

Source: Brisco Loran

Shopfront Detail

Source: Brisco Loran

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