Chris Dyson Architects have just completed the adaptation of Hyde Park Corner Lodge from a tourist and information office into a public café. The grade II listed building is situated at the heart of the Royal Park, at the confluence of Hyde Park, Green Park and Buckingham Palace Gardens, and will provide a large terrace seating area which will be open all year round.
The lodge has been adapted for use as a café with minimal disruption to the existing fabric and, where necessary, alterations have been made in harmony with, and respectful of, the building, its character, construction, materials and details.
The principal area of activity will be on the ground floor of the lodge as this will be the area in which food will be served. To provide for this, the arrangement of the rooms has been improved to allow for a smooth flow of customers from the front of the building to the rear.
To the west of the lodge, a sunken yard has been transformed into a new stone terrace for fixed year-round seating and provides a route to an area of decking along the northern edge of the lodge. The stone terrace allows for window service from two openings on either side of the building which have been sensitively restored to their original character. Low level hedges have been planted to provide screening and privacy, and to bring a soft edge to the area.
Offices and meeting rooms are located at first floor level.
By adapting the Hyde Park Corner Lodge for use as a public café, Chris Dyson Architects have shown that listed buildings can be transformed to respond to contemporary needs without compromising their character.
About Chris Dyson Architects
Chris Dyson Architects was founded in the summer of 2004 and is based in Spitafields, London. The practice provides a complete range of design, planning and project management services and has projects in Central London, the south of England and abroad. The team of 10 architects is known for designing bespoke London homes usually involving the restoration and refurbishment of historic buildings. Chris Dyson Architects has recently won a number of awards, including the AJ Small Projects and City of London Heritage awards and is widely published. The practise has just released a second book of their most recent work ‘Practice and Projects’, by Artifice.
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