London architecture

In Walthamstow, East London, a single-story new-build home brings contemporary flair to a small backland site. Designed by London-based architecture practice ao–ft, “Tree Courtyard House” is constructed from brick and cross-laminated timber (CLT). The home’s L-shaped plan is guided by the site’s mature London Plane tree and root system. ao–ft Rory Gardiner The restricted backland site is located at the end of a laneway,  behind the Walthamstow Village commercial street. It was originally occupied by the large rear kitchen of a restaurant. In 2021, the client, a local property developer, contacted ao–ft with a view to exploring the possibility of building on the site: “T... More

“Minty House” is the result of a colorful and quirky architectural intervention on a Victorian home in London’s West Hampstead. Completed by London-based Peter Morris Architects, it includes a novel extension that uses an ultralight polystyrene-based imitation stone material painted in mint ice cream green. Juliet Murphy Peter Morris Architects Minty House is located on a street of Victorian houses. A project for a young family, its key feature is the inclusion of a rear 15-square-meter (162-square-feet) kitchen extension with a filled-in side return alongside a full refurbishment of the home. Peter Morris Architects takes a colorful approach to architecture and design and the studio envisaged the extens... More

London-based dMFK Architects has restored and repurposed a former wallpaper factory in Chiswick, west London. Designed by C. F. A. Voysey, an English architect and proponent of the Arts & Crafts movement, the 1902 building has been given a new lease of life. Jack Hobhouse dMFK Architects dMFK Architects The five-story wallpaper factory was originally designed for Sanderson, the British manufacturer of wallpapers and textiles. The Grade II* Listed Arts and Crafts factory building — named Voysey House — is the only industrial building designed by C.F.A. Voysey (who was also a furniture and textile designer) and was part of an expansion of the Sanderson factory in Chiswick (first opened in 1879). A f... More

Concrete, glass, and steel are used to great effect in the construction of Reciprocal House, a newly completed 280-square-meter (3,014-square-feet) family home designed by London-based Gianni Botsford Architects. Located in a leafy Hampstead mews in north-west London, the home is hidden behind a Victorian pub. Reciprocal House replaces a nondescript, run-down coach house and its smart and robust design responds to an adjoining 1969 extension by Foster Associates (now Foster + Partners).* Schnepp Renou James Eagle Gianni Botsford Architects Former coach house: Schnepp Renou Schnepp Renou Foster Associates’ lightweight, single-story extension is made up of steel trusses, concrete blocks, an... More

Global architecture and design firm Perkins&Will designed the London-based European head office for Sidara (formerly known as the Dar Group), an alliance of specialist design, engineering, and consulting firms. Located at 150 Holborn in central London, England, the new building’s innovative design and construction was completed by its own tenants, all member companies of Sidara: Dar, Perkins&Will, Portland Design, Currie & Brown, Introba, Maffeis Engineering, and Penspen. Described as a “living lab”, 150 Holborn utilizes intelligent building technology to self-optimize and provide real-life data that will inform future projects. Perkins&Will Perkins&Will Perkins&Will In t... More

Cairn is an architectural studio based between Edinburgh and London that specializes in creating low-carbon buildings. In its latest project — the renovation and extension of a Victorian terrace in Hackney, east London — Cairn has pioneered the use of a new low-carbon blended cement. “House made by many hands” is the first building in the UK to use Limestone Calcined Clay Cement: LC3. James Retief Cairn LC3 is based on a blend of limestone and calcined clay, two materials with a synergetic effect. It was developed at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland along with regional experts at the University “Marta Abreu” of Las Villas in Cuba and the I... More

One Ashley Road is a flagship project in the regeneration of Tottenham Hale in north London. Designed by the acclaimed London-based architectural studio Alison Brooks Architects, the project is a mixed-use development that is rooted in both community and place. Paul Riddle Alison Brooks Architects One Ashley Road was commissioned by Related Argent, a property developer and urban regeneration specialist. The project marks the gateway to “Heart of Hale”, a masterplan for Tottenham Hale that comprises new homes, retail, restaurants, cafes, office space, and more. Tottenham Hale underwent significant urbanization in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including the construction of many new factories and workho... More

31/44 Architects designed “Six Columns” as a home for studio co-founder Will Burges. Sited on a previously undeveloped side garden on a residential street in south-east London, the house is imbued with architectural character, twisting and stepping to make best use of its trapezoidal plot. 31/44 Architects Nick Dearden Six Columns (the house has six) draws upon a number of architectural references, including California’s exploratory Case Study Houses and a conversation with English architect Peter Aldington at his 1960s Turn End house in Buckinghamshire, England, that inspired the home’s more informal design. “Six Columns captures the optimistic spirit of post-war American experiments in hous... More

Danish architectural firm C.F. Møller Architects has completed the Springfield University Hospital, a center for mental health services in south-west London, England. The hospital’s design demonstrates the importance of evidence-based architecture when creating a therapeutic environment for patients and enhancing the well-being of staff and visitors. Mark Hadden Mark Hadden C.F. Møller Architects Springfield University Hospital is at the center of a large-scale 81-acre (33-hectare) estate regeneration program (known as Springfield Village) for South West London and St. George's Mental Health NHS (National Health Service) Trust. This includes the construction of two new adjacent mental health f... More

London-based architectural studio Surman Weston has completed its first self-build project in the vibrant south-east London neighborhood of Peckham. The aptly titled “Peckham House” stands apart, its monolithic form softened by the use of hit-and-miss brickwork — the distinctive veil envelops a home that is delicately handcrafted. Jim Stephenson Surman Weston Peckham House is the first self-initiated project by Surman Weston with the studio in the role of client, architect, and contractor. For directors Tom Surman and Percy Weston, it was an opportunity to move beyond the parameters of a typical architectural project — the role of contractor, in particular, stirred a passion for craftsmanship and m... More

London-based architectural practice Knox Bhavan designed Threefold House, a new residential property in Teddington, south-west London. The low-carbon house is constructed on a brownfield site in a built-up area that was previously occupied by a disused warehouse. The contemporary home includes three courtyards and sits on a challenging 450-square-meter (4,844-square-feet) triangular plot, surrounded by other properties and a small car park. Edmund Sumner Caption The name Threefold House is a reference to the building’s “origami-inspired assemblage of geometrical planes,” explains Knox Bhavan. The site is bounded by a new 2.5-meter-high (8-feet-high) perimeter wall that recalls the former warehouse wall.... More

London-based architectural practice Allies and Morrison has completed a new home for the London College of Fashion (part of UAL — University of the Arts London). Located in the city’s East Bank cultural quarter, the college is conceived as a 21st century factory atelier.  Simon Menges The new building marks the first time the London College of Fashion’s departments, previously in six different locations, have come together under one roof. Spread across seventeen stories, the building provides more than 40,000 square meters (430,556 square feet) of space for 5,000 students and faculty. “Through robust and flexible architecture, it aims to suit the long-term needs and ambitions of one of the UK’s m... More

The eastern entrance of newly opened Brent Cross West station in North London is an impressive timber-hybrid structure that combines sustainability and biophilia. “The Arbour” is a gateway to Brent Cross Town, a large-scale urban regeneration project that aims to be net zero by 2030. The Arbour station entrance was co-authored by Studio Egret West and shedkm with Studio Egret West evolving the design through its detail and construction phases. A lofty timber canopy was developed to fit between and connect two adjacent future office buildings. (Studio Egret West and shedkm are the architects for office building 4 and office building 3 respectively — both designs will incorporate timber construction technologies.) Garet... More

London-based architecture practice ConForm has created a contemporary haven filled with texture in London’s West Hampstead. A garden apartment in a four-story mansion block, the home had an awkward layout, low ceilings, poor access to the rear garden, and very little natural light. The redesign undertaken by ConForm capitalized on extending into the rear garden, creating a light and airy, calm and uncluttered space, one that emphasizes materiality and craftsmanship. James Retief James Retief The concept for the rear extension draws on the building’s front facade, where classically designed bay windows and ornate details are typical of Victorian terraces. “The extension is developed as a contemporary cant... More