Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace is a house in Bury St Edmunds, designed by Michael and Patty Hopkins in 1978. Over the years it has seen a number of alterations including the addition of a new bedroom, the glazing over of the original central courtyard  and the rearrangement of the internal rooms. The new owners were looking to preserve the spirit of this original and seminal building, without compromising on functionality.

Our approach has been to understand the nature of the construction and the vision of ‘high tech’ to give clues as how to make interventions. The new layout celebrates the sense of space and the views by placing the bedrooms, bathrooms and utility room along the north elevation and leaving the remainder of the plan predominantly open. This zone of cellular accommodation is then covered by a bookcase creating a long library wall. A new open plan kitchen is mirrored on the other side of the covered courtyard by a study area.