Bravura House

Client: Amar-Franses & Foster-Jenkins Trust

: David Parsons (Lead Architect/Designer)

Bravura House provides student accommodation for the beneficiaries of the Amar-Franses & Foster-Jenkins Trust in north London. The trust was established in 2002 to provide scholarships and bursaries to post-graduate students in the arts and sciences.

This new development has taken a neglected substantial detached house in Mapesbury conservation area and repurposed and extended it to provide high quality post-graduate student accommodation. The former house – which was built circa 1905 – had stood empty for a number of years, and was in a semi-derelict condition, having not been updated since the 1970’s. A clear objective of the clients was to take something that would typically be reserved for a privileged few and offer it to talented young individuals. From the outset the brief for the house was to create a home for the students that went well beyond the often sterile and cramped conditions of typical student accommodation. It was an essential part of the brief to bring a strong sense of community to the house, whilst also respecting the needs of an individual’s space. The plan contains 7 large en-suite student rooms along with generous shared living areas. A mezzanine workspace sits above the dining space and maintains a visual connection to the kitchen via internal windows. A new build music rehearsal space also sits within the rear garden, which the students have 24-hour access to for solo and group practice.