Consent for Refurb and Extension at Listed Frank Lloyd-Wright Inspired Home in Solihull

We have received planning permission and listed building consent for the renovation and extension of a Grade II listed Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired house in Solihull, West Midlands.

The original house was built between 1955-59 by D. Rosslyn Harper of Yorke, Harper and Harvey for himself. This is one of many FLW inspired homes designed by the practice in the West Midlands.

The site was previously refused permission three times before we became involved. We worked with Jon Lowe Heritage and in consultation with the 20^th Century Society we developed a scheme acceptable to everyone involved.

A new master bedroom with a larger family dining space and generous kitchen were among our client’s main goals for the project. We located the extension at the rear of the property to minimise the impact on the key view identified from the main road. We also suggested reinstating the originally proposed garden wall complete with a Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired gate to increase privacy and security, also helping to further shield views of the extension.

For the renovation of the existing building, our main concern was to improve thermal efficiency and therefore sustainability by upgrading the poorly performing building envelope.

The existing single-glazed windows are proposed to be refurbished with new Fineo integrated glazing units that were able to fit into the existing minimal frames while improving thermal performance significantly. This coupled with new modern insulation on the flat roofs and walls will make the house more thermally efficient and therefore environmentally sustainable while preserving the special architectural character of this listed building.