07•2024
07•2024
Steel House
Steel House
Newly completed full restoration in London to a traditional Victorian House. A two-storey full width infill to the rear of the terraced house creates a distinctive new element that rationalises what used to be a adhoc arrangement of previous additions. Reconfiguration of the lower and ground floors help open up and connect to main living spaces, while the upper floors have been updated with new interventions throughout. A steel structural facade gives new views out to the garden and at the same time transforms the rear of the house to give it a porous quality.
The double height insertion will help to establish a new relationship between the lower ground and upper floors to make a more connected home. The delicate infill helps to give the impression of a tall conservatory, drawing light deep into the plan as well as framing views of the garden from different parts of the interior.
We worked carefully with the original building to reimagine the layout and provide a new family home that caters to modern ways of living. The connection between the different floors and the generous opening up of the spaces generates an entirely new experience in the home, one that promotes better use of the house and helps to improve the quality and access to light.
Title: Steel House
Location: London
Year: 2024
Client: Private
Photographer: Ståle Eriksen (interior) & Rikard Khan (exterior)
Type: Dwelling
Status: Completed
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06•2024
06•2024
V&A Fragile Beauty
V&A Fragile Beauty
The latest project by EBBA is a monumental exhibition for the Victoria & Albert Museum; the first of its kind. The major show is a celebration of the incredible photographs of Elton John and David Furnish who have allowed access to the renowned collection. It is the first time a show entirely dedicated to photography is shown at the V&A.
EBBA worked closely with the curators and the V&A team to create a unique sequence of spaces that could capture the essence of the different themes throughout the show while ensuring the photography was centre stage. In order to help set a pace for the exhibition there are a series of threshold moments that give space between rooms, and at times glimpses across to other galleries are framed to help understand the breadth of the show and the connections between themes.
A key component of the entire project has been the celebration of re-use from the previous major showcase of Chanel. Over 75% of the previous show and its walls where reimagined and recycled, helping to drastically reduce waste and make a show that was more economical and put sustainability at the forefront. This is almost indecipherable from the layout of this new show, however many of the original walls were reinstated in the same location yet through careful design moves, where able to create an entirely new experience.
From the initial welcome space, the subtle curvature of walls can be appreciated, something which acts as a device to remove any abrupt obstables and allow the flow throughout the exhibition. As a the first introduction to the themes of the show, Fashion sets a mature yet playful starting point, where the bespoke lighting helps to mimic the flash lighting in photography that was synonymous with the era in which a lot of the photographs are set.
One of the most important spaces in the show, and where the work of Nan Golding sits is Fragile Beauty. Also the title of the show, this work is housed in a playful yet sculptural object that gives glimpses to there being something important within. As the show progresses into Constructed Images, the works become larger and more abstract. In order to address the scale and to help make sense of the sequence, EBBA developed a large structure that has the appearance of being suspended. The solution to create something that could create the feeling of rooms yet not completely coming to the ground was in order to make sense of the vast collection in this space. In addition to the hanging box, the perimeter walls peel away to distort the views and help to engage with each of the works more closely.
Title: Fragile Beauty
Location: London
Year: 2024
Client: V&A Museum
Photographer: James Retief
Type: Cultural
Status: Completed
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06•2024
06•2024
Kauffman at Royal Academy
Kauffman at Royal Academy
Angelica Kauffman RA was one of the most celebrated artists of the 18th century. In this major exhibition designed by EBBA, the show traces her trajectory from child prodigy to one of Europe’s most sought-after painters.
Known for her celebrity portraits and pioneering history paintings, Angelica Kauffman helped to shape the direction of European art. She painted some of the most influential figures of her day – queens, countesses, actors and socialites – and she reinvented the genre of history painting by focusing largely on female protagonists from classical history and mythology.
The simple execution of the show picks up on the details from the interiors of Somerset House, the original home to her ceiling paintings that now reside in the ground floor of the Royal Academy.
A simple yet elegant set of objects were designed that would help to showcase smaller elements within the gallery, giving equal importance to the works. Detailing in the displays picks up on the fluting found in the ornate spaces in which the original paintings used to hang.
Title: Kauffman
Location: London
Year: 2024
Client: Royal Academy of Arts
Photographer: James Retief
Type: Exhibition
Status: Completed
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06•2024
06•2024
Veja
Veja
A collaboration with designer Deidra Hodgson on the first store for Veja in London, featuring a monolithic stone structure that forms a key element within the space. EBBA worked as executive architect to develop the design and deliver the project, including the complex sculptural element that anchors the space.
Title: Veja Store
Location: London
Year: 2024
Client: Veja
Photographer: James Retief
Type: Retail
Status: Completed
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01•2023
01•2023
Cast House
Cast House
EBBA completed the refurbishment and extension to a Victorian home in East London. The project looked to maximise the opportunities for light while creating small moments of calm.The result is characterised by intricate timber detailing and the textures found in the floors and the cast facade; a celebration of finding ways of making more with less.
The new large open plan kitchen with adjacent dining area benefits from framed views to the garden and beyond. A vaulted ceiling introduces a unique feature inspired by roman arches and the client’s interest in travel.The continuous tiled floor runs from the garden into the living space helping to connect and extend the rooms, while making the feeling of expansiveness.The lowered section of the living space and the kitchen are divided by a changing level helping to add a different atmosphere within the same space.
Similar detailing in a refined yet textured palette follow upstairs into the rest of the house. A calm master bedroom leads to a walk-in wardrobe and ensuite. Everywhere there has been special attention to making the most of joinery and linings to elevate the feel of each room.
The feature facade is cast in a pigmented eco-cement with a subtle brown tone, finished in a technique that brings out the aggregate reminiscent of Brutalist architecture. Between the rougher elements are a series of screens that act as pivots that can open wide, making better connections to the garden. Altogether the extension has dramatically enhanced the quality of the spaces and provided an architecturally-ambitious project for the young couple, newborn and their Dachshund, Betty.
Title: Cast House
Location: London
Year: 2022
Client: Private
Photographs: Nick Dearden
Interior & Styling: Anahita Rigby & Sophie Surridge
Low Collection Seat: Benni Allan with Béton Brut
Type: Dwelling
Status: Completed
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07•2022
07•2022
Into Air Exhibition
Into Air Exhibition
EBBA have designed a series of wooden frames and light boxes in collaboration with artist Dawn Ng and her studio as part of her first UK solo show – ‘Into Air’ – at St Cyprian’s Church, London.
Dawn’s work investigates time through the ephemeral material that is ice. She injects blocks with pigment using colour and pattern to create topographical tributaries. The different frames are presented in a way that captures the qualities of Dawn’s process while interacting with the church itself and allowing the visitors to explore, peer into and get close to the works.
Title: Into Air
Location: London
Year: 2022
Client: Dawn Ng
Photographs: James Retief
Curator: Jenn Ellis
Presented by Sullivan+Strumpf and Apsara Studio
Type: Cultural
Status: Completed
01•2023
01•2023
Casa Agulló
Casa Agulló
Casa Agulló is a personal project led by EBBA’s Director, Benni Allan, located in Altea, Spain. EBBA worked carefully to renovate and give the project a new lease of life. The new design maintains heritage features from the original house combined with new interventions and details. The project is defined by the use of materials sourced from within 100km of the house.
The overall concept was to try to retain existing features while celebrate the house’s past. A workshop on the top floor where the previous owner used to make boats is stripped back, with the original concrete floor left bare leaving paint marks that connect with the history of the house as a place for making. The sense of the workshop has also been translated in the design of the kitchen, which acts as a workbench as well as for cooking.
Title: Casa Agulló
Location: Altea, Spain
Year: 2022
Client: Private
Photographs: Salva Lopez
Type: Dwelling
Status: Completed
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06•2022
06•2022
Low Collection
Low Collection
‘Low Collection’ is a series of furniture designed by EBBA’s director, Benni Allan, as part of an investigation into what it means to sit and how every culture has a different relationship to the act of resting.
The collection sits on liminal ground between art and function, organic and rational. The curvilinear design of the ‘Low Collection’ takes inspiration from previous trips to Japan as well as Allan’s experience of living in China and southern Spain. Celebrating both bold and clean lines the oak itself takes centre stage in each piece, highlighting the cross-cuts and the quality of the end-grain.
Each piece is made from solid oak and made in a way that expresses the true characteristics of the material. Created using a mix of both traditional and modern craftsmanship, each piece combines new machining technologies to generate the refined geometries and is hand-finished.
The collection is exhibited and represented by Béton Brut gallery in London.
Title: Low Collection
Location: London
Year: 2022
Represented by Béton Brut
Available at 1stDibs
Photographs: Gareth Hacker and Jake Curtis
Styling: Nina Lilli Holden
Type: Product
Status: Completed
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05•2022
05•2022
Creative Office
Creative Office
EBBA completed the design of a flexible studio space for MMBP. The project sought to find ways to create joinery and storage solutions through off-the-shelf products. The light touch refurbishment has turned an old storage unit into a warm office space through soft pink and chocolate tones. Maximising the project for flexible working by providing storage solutions that can be easily concealed, while finding ways to add delight in the details and fixtures. Moving down into the office you go through a portal-like entrance concealing a compact kitchen. Enjoyment in this project came through using utilitarian fixtures and soft finishes to achieve a rich result and a calming space to work from. The bookshelf wall was made from parts of a previous table designed for the RA coupled with the stools shown as part of our exhibition design; a nod to EBBA’s consideration of ways to up-cycle projects and products for new uses.
Title: MMBP
Location: London
Year: 2022
Client: MMBP
Photographs: Thomas Adank
Type: Dwelling
Status: Completed
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06•2022
06•2022
Book Display
Book Display
EBBA designed a book display in collaboration with artist Francesca Anfossi to present Rochester Square’s book. Made of solid wood, the form of the piece imitates the old structures of the greenhouses found in the gardens of Rochester Square ceramic facilities in Camden.
The piece was presented together with Anfossi’s ceramics and ‘From the Pot to the Earth’ published by Sternberg Press and designed by APFEL during the book launch at Rochester Square.
Title: Book Display
Location: London
Year: 2022
Client: Rochester Square
Photographs: Marta Fernàndez
Type: Product
Status: Completed
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