In recent years, a new housing typology has emerged in London that involves the practice of building penthouses on top of existing buildings. Here's a post I wrote back in 2021. This is not the simplest way to build new housing, but there are clear benefits. New housing does get created (however incremental it may be), existing buildings are preserved (which is positive from a sustainability perspective), and housing complexes with maintenance and repair needs have a new way to raise money.

Here's a penthouse example completed in 2023 that was designed by David Kohn Architects for Baylight Properties.

What I think I glean from the plans is that the building's existing elevator and exit stair were extended up into the new penthouse space, and a new internal stair was added within the penthouse. This would have required a great deal of coordination to minimize disruption to the existing building. Presumably, they built the new shaft extension, got everything ready, and then shut down the elevator for the shortest possible period of time to switch everything over. The existing building is only 4 floors, so it's not the end of the world.

As an aside, Baylight Properties has other rooftop projects underway, including the Sky Houses at Ransome's Dock. I also very much appreciate the ethos of the firm. On their website, they clearly state: "Our overwhelming interest has been to combine the harsh realities of business with all the benefits good architecture bring." It sounds a lot like how we think about our approach at Globizen. Maybe it's time we also start looking at some rooftops.

Project photograph by Will Pryce via David Kohn Architects

Plans from David Kohn Architects