Zinc-clad loft extension by Konishi Gaffney creates an extra bedroom
Scottish studio Konishi Gaffney has constructed a wide dormer window to convert the loft of a terraced house in Edinburgh into an extra bedroom.
![Zinc-clad loft extension by Konishi Gaffney creates an extra bedroom](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/02/Zinc-clad-loft-extension-by-Konishi-Gaffney-creates-an-extra-bedroom_dezeen_3.jpg)
Konishi Gaffney, which is led by Scottish architect Kieran Gaffney and Japanese designer Makiko Konishi, added the roof extension to a two-storey house in Edinburgh's Portobello - a seaside community filled with heritage properties.
Entitled Regent Street Dormer, the zinc-clad structure projects out from the rear of the house's shallow-pitched roof to double the amount of useable floor space within the attic.
![Zinc-clad loft extension by Konishi Gaffney creates an extra bedroom](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/02/Zinc-clad-loft-extension-by-Konishi-Gaffney-creates-an-extra-bedroom_dezeen_2.jpg)
"The planners were resistant to the idea of a dormer in this location at all, but following long negotiations a rear dormer was conceded," explained Gaffney, noting that the property sits within the immediate vicinity of over 50 listed buildings.
"We then made a case for a low profile, long dormer, more than twice as long as is normally permitted, because this had less visual impact than a dormer located near the eaves," he added.
![Zinc-clad loft extension by Konishi Gaffney creates an extra bedroom](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/02/Zinc-clad-loft-extension-by-Konishi-Gaffney-creates-an-extra-bedroom_dezeen_4.jpg)
Pre-weathered zinc gives a charcoal colour to the outer walls of the structure blending in with the existing slate roof.
The west-facing picture window spans one face and sits within a tapered recess. "[It] includes an idiosyncratic splay to let afternoon light in," said Gaffney.
![Zinc-clad loft extension by Konishi Gaffney creates an extra bedroom](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/02/Zinc-clad-loft-extension-by-Konishi-Gaffney-creates-an-extra-bedroom_dezeen_5.jpg)
A timber shutter at one end of the window lets in fresh air. "This is a nod to my favourite window - located at Louis Kahn's Fischer House - where the glass is fixed and oak window shutters open for ventilation," the architect told Dezeen.
The new bedroom is painted white and contains enough space for a double bed and a wall of built-in storage. A wooden staircase connects the room with the two storeys below.
![Zinc-clad loft extension by Konishi Gaffney creates an extra bedroom](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/02/Zinc-clad-loft-extension-by-Konishi-Gaffney-creates-an-extra-bedroom_dezeen_6.jpg)
Regent Street Dormer is one of 24 projects shortlisted for the AJ Small Projects 2014. The winner will be announced next month.
![Axonometric dormer detail of Zinc-clad loft extension by Konishi Gaffney creates an extra bedroom](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/02/Zinc-clad-loft-extension-by-Konishi-Gaffney-creates-an-extra-bedroom_dezeen_9.gif)
Photography is by Alan Craigie.
Here's the project description from Kieran Gaffney:
Regent Street Dormer
The project was to extend a small 1st floor flat into the loft and create a new bedroom with dormer. A simple brief complicated only by the lack of headroom in the loft, the client's design ambition and conservative planning rules in this conservation area of Edinburgh.
![First floor plan of Zinc-clad loft extension by Konishi Gaffney creates an extra bedroom](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/02/Zinc-clad-loft-extension-by-Konishi-Gaffney-creates-an-extra-bedroom_dezeen_8.gif)
This street has the densest concentration of listed buildings in Portobello (54 in 120m). The planners were resistant to the idea of a dormer in this location at all but following long negotiations a rear dormer was conceded. We then made a case for a low profile, long dormer, more than twice as long as is normally permitted, because this had less visual impact than a dormer located near the eaves.
![Ground floor plan of Zinc-clad loft extension by Konishi Gaffney creates an extra bedroom](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/02/Zinc-clad-loft-extension-by-Konishi-Gaffney-creates-an-extra-bedroom_dezeen_7.gif)
The project allowed a west facing picture window with an unusual view. It is clad in anthracite zinc by French artisans and includes an idiosyncratic splay to let afternoon light in, a fixed glass pane and a timber door for ventilation.
![Section of Zinc-clad loft extension by Konishi Gaffney creates an extra bedroom](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/02/Zinc-clad-loft-extension-by-Konishi-Gaffney-creates-an-extra-bedroom_dezeen_10.gif)
Completed: July 2013
Budget: £32,000
Architect: Konishi Gaffney
Contractor: Gloss Projects
Zinc: Artisan Roofing
Engineer: Burnt Siena Structures