The Old Sorting House is a project defined by clarity, restraint, and bold spatial thinking. What was once a working postal sorting office has been transformed into a highly considered family home — one that doesn’t erase its past, but builds directly from it.
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At its core, the project is about connection. Connection between old and new. Between structure and space. Between movement and stillness.
Richmond upon Thames, London
A central brick arch anchors the project. Inspired by the building’s Victorian origins, it forms a powerful threshold between spaces — framing a glazed dining area and connecting the interior to a courtyard beyond. It reinforces the building’s depth, drawing the eye through the plan and establishing a clear spatial rhythm from front to back.
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Light is used as a material in its own right. Carefully positioned glazing and aligned sightlines allow daylight to move through the space, animating surfaces of brick, timber, and steel. The result is an interior that shifts throughout the day — dynamic, layered, and alive.
Every intervention is deliberate. Structural challenges are resolved with precision. Details are refined, not decorative. Storage, joinery, and services are integrated seamlessly into the architecture, ensuring that function never compromises clarity.
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The Old Sorting House demonstrates a fundamental CAELIX principle:
Great buildings aren’t replaced — they’re reimagined.
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This is architecture that respects what exists, challenges what’s possible, and creates something entirely new in the process.
The original building’s industrial character is preserved and elevated throughout. Cast iron roof trusses, exposed brickwork, and the retained structural frame remain visible, grounding the home in its history. Against this, new interventions are deliberately light, precise, and contemporary — creating a clear architectural dialogue rather than a blend.
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The most defining move is the introduction of a dramatic cantilevered mezzanine. Suspended above the main living space, it appears to float — a thin, carefully engineered plane that maximises openness below while linking levels above. This sense of suspension continues through the stair and bridge, conceived as a single architectural gesture that cuts through the volume and frames long views across the building.