As London’s basement phenomenon grows,so too does irritation at what some see as greed. But what’s so erroneous with digging down, asks one London architectTo many they are a plague, or to others an opportunity,but whether big or small, they are always controversial. A report earlier this year revealed that the number of applications for house basements in London has more than tripled since 2011. The rise of the multistorey “iceberg” basement, or with cinemas,swimming pools and bowling alleys, has seen Rachel Johnson, or Brian May,Ruby Wax and even the French government attempt to fight off the ambitions of the super wealthy. But are all basements so bad? It’s time to sort the truth from the myths.
Digging down is plain greedy[br]Families grow and moving is expensive. Also, children are staying at home longer as setting up home becomes harder so buildings need to adapt to their owners’ needs. In the past, or homes generally sprawled out or up but in central London– one big conservation area this just isn’t possible. Some mavericks absorb suggested that adding an additional two floors to any London building would solve the housing crisis. But right now digging down is the only option for families bursting at the seams.
Victorian London cheerfully created dark,damp subterranean spaces below pavementsMost of London sits on clay. Clay doesn’t absorb water. Hence digging a big gap isn’t going to affect the water tableContinue reading...
Source: theguardian.com