Gate House

You say to a brick, 'What do you want, brick?' And brick says to you, 'I like an arch.' And you say to brick, 'Look, I want one too, but arches are expensive, and I can use a concrete lintel.' And then you say: 'What do you think of that, brick?' Brick says: 'I like an arch.' - Louis Kahn

Gateway buildings are both an ingenious and grandiose typology: the road is retained and becomes part of the site. The building itself becomes a triumphal statement. This gateway building was an opportunity to fill an unattractive gap in an otherwise continuous Victorian street. We chose a traditional handmade brick and listened - and eventually designed a beautifully proportioned load bearing arch.

The integrity of the arch must not be undermined, so the internal spaces and facades have to be moulded to fit around this. In the end it is these gymnastics generate the joy and charm of this modest edifice.