ART Special sample 7

At the edge of the London metropolis – where urban density gradually gives way to calm – the striking silhouette of a post-and-beam house disrupts the familiar rhythm of the English streetscape. Designed as a bespoke replacement, this timber-and-glass building was tailored precisely to its narrow plot – with side setbacks of just 1.26 metres to the left and 1.53 metres to the right boundary.

As is often the case in sought-after locations in England, the existing building first had to make way: a three-storey house in the Tudor style. For architect Peter Huf, however, recreating a structure of the same volume was never an option. “I deliberately chose to design the house with two storeys so that, despite its clear presence, it would appear light and elegant. At the same time, the filled gap creates a visual breakthrough. Upon entering the house, the resident’s view immediately extends to the garden. Only the front door separates the so-called ‘forecourt’ from the ‘rear courtyard’,” he explains.

The central planning challenge lay in making optimal use of the limited footprint, accommodating the spatial needs of a family of four, and at the same time drawing as much natural light as possible into the interior. Traditionally, daylight would enter from all sides of a building – but the close neighbouring structures called for a more inventive solution. The roof structure was therefore deliberately opened up, allowing daylight to penetrate deep into the house from above. The folded flat roof, which the architect likes to refer to as a “wave,” introduces a sense of movement to the clearly structured façade and lends the modern timber-frame construction an added lightness.