MBAMichaelis Boyd Associates Selected Residential and Commercial Projects

Introduction

Residential Projects

Michaelis Boyd Associates (MBA) was formed in 1995 by Alex Michaelis and Tim Boyd and has established itself at the forefront of modern high-end environmentally sustainable design and architecture. Alex and Tim first met whilst working at John Miller and Partners where they collaborated on a private house commission.

Having completed their architectural education and worked within other practices (Richard Rogers Partnership and Wickham Associates), they decided to set up their own, as a result of both their earlier successful collaboration and shared views as to how an architectural practice should work. Michaelis Boyd has a modern approach, aiming to simplify all client briefs and therefore scheme designs.

The practice works on a variety of projects: residential refurbishment and new build, restaurants, bars, hotels and offices, primarily in London, often in the countryside and otherwise abroad. Recent commissions have included Heveningham Hall, new build and restoration of a grade 1* listed property, incorporating a new build vineyard, chateau and moat, a private house for Conservative Party Leader David Cameron, Soho House Berlin, a boutique hotel and member’s club, and One Alfred Place, a new business club in central London. The practice also undertakes pro-bono projects, ranging from a home for ex-servicemen in Nepal to activity centers for underprivileged children in West London.

Arundel Gardens, Notting Hill, London, 2009

This 4-storey London townhouse was completely demolished apart from the existing front façade and side party walls. A completely remodelled, modern interior shell for a single-family dwelling replaced the original 10 flats. The scheme included a completely open plan, lowered basement level; excavated areas under the front garden to house the utility and services; an enlarged 3-storey side extension and a new mansard floor with small terrace to the rear.

The interior design maximises the light throughout the building with full height and full width sliding glass doors and screens. A large sliding roof light to the top floor sends natural light all the way to the basement through the floating staircase. Innovative LED and concealed lighting were used to enhance the feeling of space and many traditional details and natural materials were incorporated reflecting the character of the original building.

Elgin Crescent, Notting Hill, London, 2009

Complete refurbishment of an end of terrace London town house in Nottinghill. The proposal involved extending the property to the front below the forecourt and side at basement level, creating a light and open plan basement for family living and a modern Bulthaup kitchen. The remaining 4 stories of the building

were refurbished and designed to increase the light and space, with the main staircase being refurbished and a reconfiguring of the upper staircase with a rooflight over. Certain existing and traditional details were retained and juxtaposed with modern finishes and bathrooms to reflect the original nature of the building.

Eastcourt, Wiltshire, 2009

A full refurbishment of a Grade II* listed building. The existing fabric has been restored and a new open-plan kitchen with roof lights has been created with the aim of providing more space and natural light. There is a newly designed entertainment suite in the loft, new bathrooms throughout and an environmentally-friendly wood chip burner which heats the whole house. The interior is now modern and light with some period features, while the exterior still displays it’s original 17th Century characteristics.

Oxford Gardens, Notting Hill, London, 2006 Environmentally sustainable, detached 5 bedroom town house, complete with indoor pool and children’s play area. With restrictions to build no higher than the 6ft boundary wall to achieve invisibility from the street, this two-storey house was built underground, ensuring ‘an important open space between buildings’.

Bridge Lane, Battersea, London, 2007

A commercial premises was fully refurbished to create 3 storeys of living accommodation as a family home. The vast floor-to-ceiling heights allowed for additional surface area to be created though the addition of mezzanine floors. A sleeping platform on the children’s floor is accessed over a bridge and exited via the fireman’s pole to the study and play area beneath. The cantilevered staircase on the second floor leads to the master bedroom, which overlooks a light well through a huge circular window. The main staircase spans the back wall of the property over all 3 floors with open riser timber treads and a stainless steel mesh balustrade, which allows views from the staircase into the main spaces. The new roof light over the stairwell floods daylight into what would otherwise be a dark space.

Commercial Projects

Child’s Room (detail), Elgin Crescent, London, 2008

Pizza East, Shoreditch High Street, London, 2009

Housed on the ground floor of the Tea Building, on the corner of Shoreditch High Street and Bethnal Green Road, Pizza East replaces the old Tea Bar. The interior architecture pays respect to the building’s industrial roots, with concrete walls and exposed beams, pipes and pillars. The existing windows were opened up and replaced by large industrial metal crittall windows to allow more natural light to enter the space. The restaurant is open plan and comprises various areas: a waiting high table with bar and retail deli area, a central seated bar with drinks, cheese and meat display, a private dining area and a pizza bar with view over the kitchen and pizza ovens. About a quarter of the ground floor plan is occupied by an open kitchen with pizza ovens. The mixed timber and zinc tables with old school chairs are loosely placed around the main feature central bar. Two long reclaimed factory tables with swivel stools sit between the main bar and pizza bar & private dining room.

Electric Cinema, Portobello Road, London, 2002

Refurbishment and fit-out of a Grade I listed cinema and the alterations/fit-out of the adjoining shell. The ground floor of the adjoining building is a public brasserie, which is a contemporary interpretation of a traditional brasserie. The first floor is a private members club, based on the aesthetic of a New York apartment. The front facade is fully glazed with a lead aerofoil over the entrance and a full height chain mail curtain internally.

Sophie’s Steakhouse, Wellington Street, London, 2008

A full ground floor restaurant refurbishment near Covent Garden. The restaurant has been remodeled internally to gain natural light and create an open plan space. The interior has an industrial warehouse feel with a mixture of exposed brick, concrete and rendered walls. The kitchen has a large opening to the restaurant. The seating is a mixture of leather banquettes and oak slatted benches. The bar is made of pewter and dark slate reinforcing the industrial feel of the space. The restaurant lighting concept is an homage to the GLS light bulb, but interpreted in a contemporary and environmental way with the use of fibre optics cast in bespoke resin transparent bulbs of variant sizes, all dangling randomly above tables from exposed stainless steel services ducts. Two acrylic chandelier dishes, holding two thousand old light bulbs each, are lit by woven fibre optics, dividing the space to create two areas for dining.

Byron, Kensington High Street, London, 2008

An internal refurbishment of an existing restaurant into a new burger restaurant - the first of a new venture. The central kitchen and bar are key to the concept of open, honest food and forms the heart of the space. Large sash windows have been introduced to the side elevation creating a light airy feel inside, whilst affording views out onto Holland Park.

Kitchen Italia, Westfield, London, 2008

A contemporary Italian ‘Cantina’ style restaurant on the southern terrace of the recently built Westfield Shopping Centre. The restuarant offers simple delicious home-style Italian cooking with a contemporary twist. Warm lighting was used, along with long olive ash benches and tables with copper-clad facades which all contribute to the palette of simple and rich materials within the space. In classic Tuscan colours, it highlights the Italian simplicity the clients sought to reference. The bespoke wall sculpture shaped to reference pasta sheets adds a bit of flare and movement to the far end of the space.

Michaelis Boyd Associates 108 Palace Gardens Terrace London W8 4RT United Kingdom t +44 (0)20 7221 1237 f +44 (0)20 7221 0130 e info@michaelisboyd.com

Photography © Richard Lewisohn