Kings Grove, London, designed by Al-Jawad Pike, selected for the Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2019.
Attention to detail and materials, a rigorous and holistic design approach, and a close collaboration with the client; all values embraced by many an architecture office, yet few of them bring them to life with as much precision and flair as London based Al-Jawad Pike.
The young practice, headed by Jessam Al-Jawad and Dean Pike, who worked together at David Chipperfield’s office in London for about ten years, set up shop in East London in 2014. The pair have since immersed themselves in a wide variety of projects – ranging from interiors and pop ups for fashion brands like Celine and Burberry, to exhibition design and residential work.
The redesign and extension of private house in South London’s Peckham is among their latest offerings, and one of the most recently completed residential project that caught our eye. Providing a two-storey new-build space extending into a Victorian terraced house’s garden, this scheme created a new light filled kitchen and dining area, a washroom and a generous arrival hall.
The materials used are simple, but exploited to perfection, and include minimalist but elegantly pronounced oak window frames and polished concrete floors. Their approach, crisp and uncluttered, allows the materials to shine through, defined by precise, confident lines and clean volumes.
‘We try to be sensitive to clients’ aspirations, as well as their personal finances’
AL-JAWAD PIKE
‘Designing something so personal as someone’s home is a huge challenge often layered with emotion and complexity,’ they say. ‘We try to be sensitive to clients’ needs and aspirations as well as the personal financial investment required. We see it as our responsibility to help guide our clients through the process while trying to also create projects we can all be proud of.’
Shapes and massing echo the house’s historical typology, as well as the context around them. The duo however are not slaves to context either. ‘Respecting local context is of course a big influence on our work, however, we see this as being sensitive to the multiple forces that shape the design of a project, rather than imitating a vernacular style,’ they explain. ‘In London, due to the restrictions on space and general density of building, it is almost impossible to avoid being directly influenced by the surrounding context. The expression of our architecture therefore inevitably takes reference from this, either consciously or unconsciously.’
-
The Alfa Romeo Junior and the ups and downs of modern automotive brand buildingCompact, sporty and neat, with over a century of heritage to contend with, the Alfa Romeo Junior is a flawed but fascinating EV
-
Tropical gardens envelop this contemporary Brazilian home in São Paulo stateIn the suburbs of Itupeva, Serena House by architects Padovani acts as a countryside refuge from the rush of city living
-
Forget the sensor-stuffed smart home and opt for these bots made from warm Danish oak insteadSwift Creatives have debuted their conceptual Wooden Bots, smart notification systems concealed within a trio of sculptural, highly crafted, but still recognisably robotic devices
-
The architectural innovation hidden in plain sight at Frieze London 2025The 2025 Frieze entrance pavilions launch this week alongside the art fair, showcasing a brand-new, modular building system set to shake up the architecture of large-scale events
-
RIBA Stirling Prize 2025 winner is ‘a radical reimagining of later living’Appleby Blue Almshouse wins the RIBA Stirling Prize 2025, crowning the social housing complex for over-65s by Witherford Watson Mann Architects, the best building of the year
-
‘Belonging’ – the LFA 2026 theme is revealed, exploring how places can become personalThe idea of belonging and what it means in today’s world will be central at the London Festival of Architecture’s explorations, as the event’s 2026 theme has been announced today
-
Join us on a first look inside Regent’s View, the revamped canalside gasholder project in LondonRegent's View, the RSHP-designed development for St William, situated on a former gasholder site on a canal in east London, has just completed its first phase
-
The Royal College of Art has announced plans for renewal of its Kensington campusThe Royal College of Art project, led by Witherford Watson Mann Architects, includes the revitalisation of the Darwin Building and more, in the hopes of establishing an open and future-facing place of creativity
-
Ursula K Le Guin’s maps of imaginary worlds are charted in a new exhibitionUrsula K Le Guin, the late American author, best known for her science fiction novels, is celebrated in a new exhibition at the Architectural Association in London, charting her whimsical maps, which bring her fantasy worlds alive
-
Power Hall’s glow-up shines light on science and innovation in ManchesterPower Hall at The Science and Industry Museum in Manchester was given a spruce-up by Carmody Groarke, showcasing the past and future of machines, engineering and sustainable architecture
-
Celebrate the angular joys of 'Brutal Scotland', a new book from Simon Phipps'Brutal Scotland' chronicles one country’s relationship with concrete; is brutalism an architectural bogeyman or a monument to a lost era of aspirational community design?
