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the claw – embracing the rear garden.

This extension is an example of a responsible rationalisation of a typical suburban house, offering a stimulating environment and demonstrating environmentally sustainable design. The project sits on a 740 m² site in Kew. Although the existing house was generously sized, it lacked a clearly thought‑out plan. The land drops 5.5 m over its length — a slope that contributed to a dysfunctional spatial arrangement. The brief required reorganising the spaces to better serve a young family and to relate each space to the outdoors.

The design solution involved removing a late rear extension (the “meals room”) and replacing it with “the claw.” Aptly named by the owners, the new family room embraces the sloping land and leads up to the raised garden at the rear. The claw roof was conceived to provide solar protection from the north while still allowing the winter sun to enter indoors. The claw is surrounded on three sides by full‑height glazing, extending the living space into the landscaped yard.