London-based architecture practice Inglis Badrashi Loddo (IBLA) has completed Walled Courtyard, a single-storey home within a former walled garden plot in Cleaver Square, Kennington, central London. Built on a tightly constrained infill site behind a Grade II-listed Georgian townhouse, the project transforms what was once a walled garden, and later a car park, into a compact two-bedroom home organised around light, privacy, and enclosure.

Historic context

The site lies in the south-east corner of Cleaver Square, one of London’s earliest planned residential squares, dating back to 1789. It is the first new house to be built on the square in 175 years.

Planning constraints required IBLA to reinstate the garden wall without external windows, so the new building reads as a continuous perimeter wall in keeping with the historic character of the square. This restriction became the defining spatial driver for the project, turning the house inwards.

A house organised around courtyards

IBLA developed a plan arranged around two courtyards. The house unfolds through a sequence of rooms wrapped around a central courtyard garden, using continuous sightlines and natural light to expand the sense of space within a tightly planned footprint.

Entry is through a small entrance courtyard that separates the street from the interior. Set behind the reconstructed garden wall, built with a blend of reclaimed and new bricks, this threshold accommodates the practical infrastructure of daily life, including bike storage, bins, and a discreet air source heat pump. A glazed wall flanks the courtyard, drawing light into the main living space.

Plan and interior sequence

The house sits between a conventional two-bedroom home and a ‘bedroom-and-a-half’ typology. The main bedroom is located near the entrance, with long views through the house and across the central courtyard. A second room at the far end of the plan can be used as either a bedroom or snug.

An open-plan kitchen and dining area forms the centre of the home, opening onto the courtyard through sliding glazed doors. Exposed white-washed timber joists bring rhythm overhead, while a custom plywood kitchen, also designed by IBLA, keeps the interior material palette calm and precise. From this central space, the full span of the house is visible.

At the southern corner of the plan, where the brick wall curves gently around the site, IBLA placed a corresponding curved bathroom beneath a round skylight. A small laundry and services cupboard sits within the cross-axis, completing the sequence of tightly organised spaces. Less frequently accessed services are concealed behind a tall shelf on wheels, providing additional storage within the compact plan.

Material character and spatial depth

A series of architectural moves extend the perception of depth within the interior. IBLA considered views across both the width and length of the site, opening sightlines to expand the sense of space. Deep-set stepped lintels, recessed into the walls, mark thresholds and transitions, giving the small rooms a feeling of weight and definition.

Materiality plays a central role throughout the project. Reclaimed London mixed-stock brick and lime mortar walls reference the historic garden enclosures that once defined the site. Around the perimeter, the brickwork remains untreated, reinstating the character of the original boundary walls. Within the courtyard, the material palette shifts subtly, with lime-washed brickwork and thick flush mortar joints creating a more monolithic atmosphere. This subdued palette is complemented by grey porcelain flooring, exposed softwood roof joists, and detailed brick soldier courses.

Environmental strategy

Despite its tight footprint, Walled Courtyard incorporates several environmental strategies. The small forecourt accommodates an air source heat pump, while high levels of insulation, underfloor heating, and a sedum roof support the home’s long-term performance.

The planted roof also restores the impression of a garden when seen from neighbouring buildings, softening the built form and recalling the site’s former walled landscape.

A long-term relationship with the site

Designed for long-term clients of the practice, Walled Courtyard marks IBLA’s return to a house the architects had previously refurbished more than a decade earlier. The clients wanted the flexibility to downsize into a smaller, more accessible home while retaining the original house as part of their future plans.

IBLA’s approach reflects the practice’s interest in working with inherited urban fabric rather than against it. At Walled Courtyard, the practice has created a home that connects with the site’s history while reinterpreting the character of the original walled garden for contemporary life.

Jamal Badrashi, Director at IBLA, says:

“Walled Courtyard is a project about creating richness within constraint. The site is extremely compact, but by thoughtfully choreographing natural light and framing views, we were able to create a home that feels generous and unexpectedly expansive. The memory of the original walled garden informed every aspect of the scheme, from the inward-looking arrangement of rooms to the material palette of reclaimed brick and lime mortar. Rather than inserting something overtly contrasting into the historic setting, we wanted the house to feel rooted in its context, as though it had quietly always belonged there.”