Found Associates.

Val des Portes
Alderney, Channel Islands

Val Des Portes is a locally listed Georgian house in St. Anne, Alderney, the northernmost island in the Channel Islands, that has been remodelled and extended by Found Associates. The house was built in around 1790 as the residence of a naval commanding officer and later occupied by the German army in WWII. The German army added several unsympathetic alterations to the Georgian house, including a concrete bunker, with subsequent owners adding further incongruous extensions.

The project presented the opportunity to restore the original house by removing all previous extensions and creating a new, modern living arrangement. A series of contemporary extensions were added in an archetypal arrangement creating a base and middle, with the top occupied by the original Georgian house.

The lower ground floor extension contains family bedrooms, bathrooms and living spaces. The thick walls of the extension, clad in local stone, act as a podium for the upper elements and a base from which further walls branch out to retain the terrain. Paths connect the new extension to the various outdoor spaces. The walls and paths are not immediately evident when one approaches the building from the main street, and are only revealed when one enters the grounds of the property. The family bedrooms have a private courtyard, whilst the new social areas overlook a terrace and orchard. At the edge, behind a tall boundary wall, the parking area is tucked away, and access is provided to the back of the house.

The ground floor extension wraps around the house and contains an entrance area, kitchen, dining and living spaces. When approaching the house from the front the focus is on the original Georgian house, whilst the extension volumes to both sides are set back and clearly detached from the original building by glazing to emphasise the distinction between old and new. The solid appearance of the extension at the front expands into a glazed loggia offering views of the gardens and the sea from the private interior spaces.

The original features and character of the Georgian house have been reinstated both externally and internally. Externally, casement windows were removed and replaced with appropriate sash windows and stucco render was repaired and repainted. Internally, non-original partitions were removed to reinstate the plan form and proportion of the rooms. The original Georgian part of the building contains receptions rooms, a study, bedrooms, and bathrooms.

The materials used were a key element of the design, informed by the study of the site, its character, and the local vernacular. The white painted stucco was refurbished to show its Georgian detailing. At ground floor level the new extension is clad in a light grey-toned Portland Stone that matches the colour of the local sand and complements the textures of the stucco and local stone. Local stone was used for the robust walls of the lower ground floor to ensure that the building retains its link to the site’s surrounding stone walls.

Services we provided for this project are:
Assembling Project Team
Design Direction
Concept Design
3D Visualisation
Pre-Application Advice
Planning Consent
Building Control Approval
Detail Design
Tender Drawings
Construction Drawings
On Site Attendance

Project Team:
Residential Architect and Interior Designer https://foundassociates.com
Project Manager and Quantity Surveyor http://www.sidsmithprojectmanagement.com
Structural Engineer https://www.pricemyers.com
Services Engineer http://www.wbshiels.com

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Residential Projects