March House is a sustainable, future-proof home by the River Thames
March House by London-based Knox Bhavan brings context, sustainability and modern construction methods together on the banks of the River Thames

Edmund Sumner - Photography
If it is the clean, modernist shapes of Knox Bhavan's new March House that first signal it as an exceptional contemporary home, then its strong eco-credentials and idyllic countryside location are sure to cement its position as a gentle but also truly forward-thinking piece of residential architecture. The project, recently completed on a natural floodplain on the banks of the River Thames in the UK, is a cleverly prefabricated, flood- and future-proof home that brings sustainable architecture to this part of the picturesque stretch of the river.
March House was built as a private home, created using a modern, prefabricated cassette system. This technique was developed by London-based Knox Bhavan in partnership with modular manufacturer BlokBuild and engineers Price & Myers. The aim was to make a sustainable home that ‘will withstand the site’s predicted increased flood risk for the next 100 years, presenting a viable design solution for building on sites susceptible to flooding’, explain the team.
‘Using MMC [modern methods of construction] directly translated our drawings into a swiftly assembled, ready-to-use external envelope. March House demonstrates how these technologies can be applied to the most specific of briefs,' says Knox Bhavan founding partner Sasha Bhavan.
The sustainability element was a key part of the client's brief, so to respond to this, Knox Bhavan additionally developed a carbon calculator system called KBe for benchmarking its projects now and in the future.
As technologically advanced as the design is, it sits delicately on its site, respectful to its context, which comprises designated permanent pastureland, farmland, National Trust sites and leafy Winter Hill. Underneath it (as March House is raised on slim galvanised steel stilts fixed on concrete piles), is an existing garden and orchard planted by the client and maintained throughout the construction process. The building frame is carefully insulated and clad in stained larch, emphasising a verticality and lightness, while referencing the natural materials around it.
The lightweight, steel chassis structure is designed as a single-storey building with flexible, open-plan interiors, and belongs to a former professional dancer who has lived on the site for 19 years (March House replaces an older house on the plot) and intends to stay there – so factoring in some future-proofing in terms of use and the client's needs was important. At the same time, Danish midcentury modern furniture, lighting and art wrap the interiors further with finesse and clever styling.
INFORMATION
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).
-
The great American museum boom
Nine of the world’s top ten most expensive, recently announced cultural projects are in the US. What is driving this investment, and is this statistic sustainable?
-
Here’s how Heathrow is reimagining airport chaos as ambient music
Grammy-nominated Jordan Rakei turns travel noise into a meditative soundtrack by sampling everything from baggage belts to jet engines
-
Wallpaper* checks into Gansevoort Meatpacking, an art-filled hotel that mirrors the district’s glow-up
This sharp, stylish New York hotel is a fixture in its neighbourhood, where boutiques, restaurants and clubs have long since taken over spaces once occupied by slaughterhouses
-
The inimitable Norman Foster: our guide to the visionary architect, shaping the future
Norman Foster has shaped today's London and global architecture like no other in his field; explore his work through our ultimate guide to this most impactful contemporary architect
-
Shard Place offers residents the chance to live in the shadow of London’s tallest building
The 27-storey tower from Renzo Piano Building Workshop joins The Shard and The News Building to complete Shard Quarter, providing a sophisticated setting for renters
-
Kengo Kuma’s ‘Paper Clouds’ in London is a ‘poem’ celebrating washi paper in construction
‘Paper Clouds’, an installation by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, is a poetic design that furthers research into the use of washi paper in construction
-
Foster + Partners to design the national memorial to Queen Elizabeth II
For the Queen Elizabeth II memorial, Foster + Partners designs proposal includes a new bridge, gates, gardens and figurative sculptures in St James’ Park
-
Wolves Lane Centre brings greenery, growing and grass roots together
Wolves Lane Centre, a new, green community hub in north London by Material Cultures and Studio Gil, brings to the fore natural materials and a spirit of togetherness
-
A new London exhibition explores the legacy of Centre Pompidou architect Richard Rogers
‘Richard Rogers: Talking Buildings’ – opening tomorrow at Sir John Soane’s Museum – examines Rogers’ high-tech icons, which proposed a democratic future for architecture
-
At the Royal Academy summer show, architecture and art combine as never before
The Royal Academy summer show is about to open in London; we toured the iconic annual exhibition and spoke to its curator for architecture, Farshid Moussavi
-
This ingenious London office expansion was built in an on-site workshop
New Wave London and Thomas-McBrien Architects make a splash with this glulam extension built in the very studio it sought to transform. Here's how they did it