London’s Reciprocal House complements an existing Norman Foster extension
Reciprocal House by Gianni Botsford replaces a north London Victorian structure, preserving its early Norman Foster extension and bringing the whole to the 21st century
![living space at Reciprocal House by GianniBotsfordArchitects](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/BpDuDtSQkhUpCj6MX9zhBe-415-80.jpg)
Only a hint of Gianni Botsford's Reciprocal House can seen from the discreet Hampstead mews' main gate in north London. The home, the commission for a private client, is an interesting amalgam of old and new – but not in the way London extensions usually go.
Reciprocal House by Gianni Botsford
The site's original structure, an 1860s cottage of no particular historic or architectural value, had already been extended once, in 1969, with a magnificently utilitarian box addition by Foster Associates (now Foster + Partners), making this a precious, early example of Norman Foster's architecture. Since then, the home fell into disrepair, so when the current owner acquired the complex, he decided to replace the Victorian element with a new build, maintaining the Foster section.
Botsford immediately recognised the site's valuable heritage and jumped at the opportunity to work on a new design, which would restore and complement the 20th century element, while bringing the whole to the 21st century – at the same time negotiating the relatively narrow plot and making the most of its leafy, Hampstead views.
'Our response to this sensitive and overlooked context is led by the notion of local adaptation and was carried out through careful and forensic analysis of the site to determine ways of providing privacy for the occupants of the house and neighbours, long views out to the borrowed landscape of back gardens, access to sunlight and daylight, acoustic separation, and security,' the architect said.
Working with a material palette that celebrates the functionalist language of the Foster structure, Botsford introduced bespoke aluminium elements on a polished concrete backdrop that elevate the interior into a highly crafted space that allows for flexibility and makes the most of the 280 sq m family home total surface.
The result is a four-storey house containing a flowing, open-plan ground level (showing off the original Foster steel trusses, concrete blocks and large-span aluminium-framed glazing); a lower-ground flexible family area, including a study and winter garden; and two upper levels of bedrooms, two of which open up to an expansive terrace that offers long, green vistas of idyllic back gardens and mature trees.
The roof profile of the original period home is loosely traced in the new building's slanted shape. This also helps the interior feel more generous, where normally space would be taken up by eaves storage. The exterior skin is sheathed in perforated aluminium mesh in a soft copper-brown tone, which also hints at the old house's colours, aiming to bridge old and new.
Wallpaper* Newsletter + Free Download
For a free digital copy of August Wallpaper*, celebrating Creative America, sign up today to receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories
The architecture team aimed to add environmentally friendly features to the residence too. These span low-flow fittings for water management, an air source heat pump, an EV charger, and a a grey water recycling system.
Botsford adds: 'Due to the complex form, a decision was taken to construct the new house adjoining the retained extension in concrete and to leave the concrete visually exposed throughout to reduce the use of finishes, to temper the light, and to benefit from the thermal mass. The structure of the new house is optimised to allow for the thinnest possible wall and floor build-ups.'
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).
-
‘Hedonistic and avant-garde’: Rabanne’s Julian Dossena on the legacy of the chainmail 1969 bag
Paco Rabanne’s 1969 chainmail handbag encapsulates the late designer’s futuristic, space-age style. Current creative director Julien Dossena tells Wallpaper* about the bag’s particular pleasures
By Jack Moss Published
-
Postcard from Paris: Olympic fever takes over the streets
On the eve of the opening ceremony of Paris 2024, our correspondent shares her views from the streets of the capital about how the event is impacting the urban landscape.
By Minako Norimatsu Published
-
The Mercury Prize nominees for 2024 have been revealed
Charli XCX, The Last Dinner Party and Beth Gibbons are amongst this year's nominees
By Charlotte Gunn Published
-
Tour the Natural History Museum’s new gardens, a Jurassic lark in London
The Natural History Museum in London has unveiled two new gardens, with resident dinosaurs, after a transformation led by architects Feilden Fowles
By Bridget Downing Published
-
Drama Republic moves into a colourful, handcrafted workspace in London
For the new creative HQ of production company Drama Republic, Emil Eve Architects remodels a warehouse into office space in London’s Holborn
By Léa Teuscher Published
-
Hideaway House in London features timber panelling inspired by the New York hospitality scene
The elegantly refurbished Hideaway House by Studio McW in London features timber panelling inspired by Philip Johnson’s The Four Seasons Restaurant
By Léa Teuscher Published
-
An Uxbridge annexe by Bureau de Change is a design for effortless intergenerational living
Uxbridge Bower, a residential annexe in west London, is a contemporary addition offering both privacy and connection for the needs of a family
By Tianna Williams Published
-
‘Modern Buildings’ tours south-east London through a guide to post-war Blackheath and Greenwich
‘Modern Buildings: Blackheath and Greenwich’ is a detailed survey of a London borough’s rich trove of new modernist architecture
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Triangle House invites you to its inner world of colourful surprises
Triangle House by Artefact is a private home in Epsom, outside London, combining Caribbean style, colour and functionality
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Tour the refreshed Saint Andrew Holborn: an icon reveals its crisp new interior in London
DaeWha Kang reimagines Saint Andrew Holborn church through a sensitive architectural solution that blends tradition and modernity in London
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
A Suffolk house by Studio Bark pairs a fresh visual language with low-energy design
Suffolk house Water Farm is off-the-grid but defiantly on the map, a bold new object in the landscape with a strong visual impact and minimal carbon footprint
By Jonathan Bell Published