In the south London suburbs, Bureau de Change Architects presents Cast House, a contemporary take on a traditional Edwardian home. Having previously created design studio Black Kite’s London office, and Long House, a home in the Cotswolds, the team add this new-build, detached house to their portfolio, a blueprint for future contemporary architecture in harmony with its suburban setting.
Cast House by Bureau de Change
Drawing inspiration from the surrounding area of Clapham, Cast House nods to the local ‘1930s architectural language’ – with details such as a gable roof, sweeping bay windows, and an open porch entrance – while adding modern flair through its combination of London stock brick and precast concrete.
At the rear, the residential building’s distinctive concrete tiers – with stacked volumes at ground, first-floor, and roof level – open the house up to its surroundings while sitting comfortably within its contextual heritage.
The interlocking brick and concrete provide the property with an alternative façade, which the architecture practice, founded by Katerina Dionysopoulou and Billy Mavropoulos, has softened with attention to planting. Planters envelop the rear steps, creating an elegant entrance to the garden area, where the concrete produces an almost whitewash feel, evoking a Mediterranean escape.
Inside, light cascades through the layers, from the dormer window in the attic room, through to the private terrace that overlooks the garden, with each concrete tier framing large open windows. Ascending through the heart of the house, an interior staircase of Azure blue metalwork connects the various levels.
The 420 sq m, four-storey house was designed within the footprint of the original home, with Bureau de Change embracing a clear design rationale and simple material palette.
-
Complex and stimulating, Federico Stefanovich's industrial designs act like a bridge between culture and economicsIn a rapidly changing world, the route designers take to discover their calling is increasingly circuitous. Here Federico Stefanovich tells us about his increasing desire to find his own path
-
Amelia Stevens' playful, minimalist design 'is geared towards beauty as a function of longevity'In a rapidly changing world, the route designers take to discover their calling is increasingly circuitous. Here we speak to Amelia Stevens about the multi-disciplinary joy of design
-
Design practice Astraeus Clarke is inspired by cinema to tell a story and evoke an emotionIn a rapidly changing world, the route designers take to discover their calling is increasingly circuitous. Here we speak to Chelsie and Jacob Starley the creative duo behind Astraeus Clarke
-
A Corten-clad extension creates a prominent Peckham landmark: tour Rusty House on the RyeStudio on the Rye’s radical overhaul of a 1950s house in south London pairs robust materials with expansive new interior spaces
-
The RIBA House of the Year 2024 winner is a delightful work in progressThe winner of the RIBA House of the Year 2024 is Six Columns in south London – the home of architect and 31/44 studio co-founder William Burges
-
A monolithic house in rural Victoria celebrates 50 shades of greyAdam Kane Architects’ monolithic house in rural Victoria, Grey House, is ‘a testament to the power of simplicity and harmony’
-
Is Rochester Street Office a creative worker’s dream? Inside a Sydney workspace echoing calmness and lightRochester Street Office by Allied_Office merges utilitarian design with cascading vegetation, presenting a thriving environment for creativity and collaboration
-
A Peckham house design unlocks a spatial puzzle in south LondonAudacious details, subtle colours and a product designer for a client make this Peckham house conversion a unique spatial experience
-
Squire & Partners' radical restructure: 'There are a lot of different ways up the firm to partnership'Squire & Partners announces a radical restructure; we talk to the late founder Michael Squire's son, senior partner Henry Squire, about the practice's new senior leadership group, its next steps and how architecture can move on from 'single leader culture'
-
Meet the 2024 Royal Academy Dorfman Prize winner: Livyj Bereh from UkraineThe 2024 Royal Academy Dorfman Prize winner has been crowned: congratulations to architecture collective Livyj Bereh from Ukraine, praised for its rebuilding efforts during the ongoing war in the country
-
The new Canada Water boardwalk is an experience designed to ‘unfold slowly’A new Canada Water bridge by Asif Khan acts as a feature boardwalk for the London area's town centre, currently under development, embracing nature and wildlife along the way
