31/44 Architects’ red-brick take on the Victorian terraced house shortlisted for RIBA House of the Year
One lucky Victorian terrace in London’s leafy neighbourhood of East Dulwich ends in a climax of red bricks with this solidly assertive new-build house designed by 31/44 architects. The red brick is drop-picked from the street, connecting it to the classic urban London vernacular, yet turned-up in impact through the contemporary colour-blocking approach to material.
Architectural detailing cleverly references its Victorian neighbours – through its patterned pre-cast pigmented concrete panel and arched entranceways, yet it’s very much a house of today with a sculptural red-brick chimney, double-height hallway and polished concrete floors.
Externally it measures up to the two-storey terrace, yet inside it opens up into a complex plan designed around several challenges including a kink in the road and the angled flank of the adjacent house.
A series of courtyards were formed by the architects to bring light and green outdoor space into the plan of the house, so once inside it’s a private world. A white-painted timber stair detailed with shadow gaps and vertical lines of cladding is the central artery of the home, casting light through the interior.
While beautiful, the house is also built for modern life – with practical space for coats and shoes in the hallway, plenty of concealed storage space and well-sized bedrooms and bathrooms. It was commissioned by developer Arrant Land for the current house market, and joins a movement by London-based developers to densify the city through fine-grain increment.
Confident in its contruction, yet considerate of its neighbours, The Red House’s unique balance of qualities have earned it a spot on the RIBA shortlist for the 2018 House of the Year.
The Royal Institute of British Architects 2018 ‘RIBA House Of The Year’ award will be announced on 28 November 2018
INFORMATION
For more information, visit the 31/44 architects website
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
Harriet Thorpe is a writer, journalist and editor covering architecture, design and culture, with particular interest in sustainability, 20th-century architecture and community. After studying History of Art at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) and Journalism at City University in London, she developed her interest in architecture working at Wallpaper* magazine and today contributes to Wallpaper*, The World of Interiors and Icon magazine, amongst other titles. She is author of The Sustainable City (2022, Hoxton Mini Press), a book about sustainable architecture in London, and the Modern Cambridge Map (2023, Blue Crow Media), a map of 20th-century architecture in Cambridge, the city where she grew up.
-
Gucci’s ‘Design Ancora’ reimagines furniture classics in rich red
Gucci launches new editions of Italian design icons in an alluring deep red, showcased during Milan Design Week 2024
By Simon Mills Published
-
Loewe’s Jonathan Anderson drafts artists to create 24 extraordinary lamps at Milan Design Week 2024
Loewe creative director Jonathan Anderson commissioned international artists and artisans to explore ‘illumination within the house’ with a series of lamps and lighting installations, shown at a group exhibition at Milan Design Week 2024
By Scarlett Conlon Published
-
What are polynucleotides? Trying the skin injectable made from salmon sperm
Polynucleotides are the latest in skin injectables, containing DNA derived from the gonads of salmon. Wallpaper* Beauty & Grooming Editor Hannah Tindle tries them to discover exactly how they work
By Hannah Tindle Published
-
Henry Wood House’s postmodernist bones are refreshed by Nice Projects in London
Nice Projects breathes new life into the Henry Wood House in London, offering ample flexible office spaces for modern workers
By Daven Wu Published
-
‘Bio-spaces’ exhibition at Roca London Gallery celebrates biophilic design
‘Bio-Spaces: regenerative, resilient futures’ opens at the Roca London Gallery as ‘a call to action to stop designing nature out’
By Clare Dowdy Published
-
The visual feast of the Sony World Photography Awards 2024 is revealed
The Sony World Photography Awards 2024 winners have been revealed – we celebrate the Architecture & Design category’s visual artists
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Don’t Move, Improve 2024: London’s bold, bright and boutique home renovations
Don’t Move, Improve 2024 reveals its shortlist, with 16 home designs competing for the top spot, to be announced in May
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Activism Award 2024 celebrates architecture’s passionate global champions
The shortlist for architecture’s Activism Award 2024 has been announced, highlighting the work of six nominees
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Timber-framed Wimbledon house is a minimalist, low-energy affair
A new timber-framed Wimbledon house is designed to blend into its traditional surroundings with a neat brick façade, careful massing and pared back interiors
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
London Science Museum’s Energy Revolution gallery champions sustainable exhibition design
The Energy Revolution gallery opens at London’s Science Museum, exploring decarbonisation through sustainable exhibition design by Unknown Works
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
This South Downs house stands as a testament to the value of quiet refinement
At one with the landscape, a South Downs house uses elements of quintessential country villas and midcentury gems with modern technologies
By Jonathan Bell Published