09 / 11 Loft conversion
Beche Road
- Location
- Cambridge
- Project
- Loft conversion
- Status
- Completed
- House
- Victorian terrace
- Setting
- Conservation area
- Scope
- Structural roof reconfiguration · Loft conversion
- Structure
- Steel ridge beam
- Materials
- Zinc standing seam · Bespoke Accoya windows
Room to grow, within.
An underused roof space in a Victorian terrace becomes a generous master suite. A reworked structure creates better headroom, circulation and room for everyday living.
Conservation rooflights bring in natural light, while bespoke storage and integrated furniture make the most of the available volume. The intervention respects the house’s conservation-area setting.
Context
The existing roof space was uninhabited and underused. The brief was to unlock this volume without altering the external reading of the house within its conservation area, creating a master bedroom with en-suite, bespoke storage and integrated desk furniture.
Architectural Strategy
A new roof structure redefines the volume, opening up the internal geometry and organising it into distinct zones – improving head height, circulation and spatial legibility. A new stair from the first-floor landing draws the loft into the main domestic sequence, rather than treating it as a separate level.
“The roof is reinterpreted as inhabitable space rather than residual structure.”
Light & Spatial Condition
Two conservation rooflights bring controlled daylight to the bedroom and en-suite from the front roof plane, while dormers at the rear extend the outlook and strengthen the relationship between interior and context.
In the bedroom, bespoke joinery integrates desk and storage, leaving the window line completely unobstructed. With no balustrade at the opening, the view is continuous – a more direct relationship to sky and light.
Material & Detail
Materials are drawn from the tonal and textural qualities of the existing house. A muted zinc roof extension sits in quiet contrast to the original slate roof, while bespoke Accoya window frames define new openings with precision.
