Threefold House folds origami-style in its angular London plot
Threefold House by Knox Bhavan is a London family home sitting comfortably in its triangular shaped plot

Threefold House was born out of an awkward, landlocked, triangular plot in southwest London, transformed by Knox Bhavan into an eco friendly, new built house with buckets of character - so much so, that it received a RIBA London Award 2023.
Threefold House by Knox Bhavan
The home's origami-like shapes twist and fold to make the most of the unusually shaped site - a brownfield one formerly occupied by a disused warehouse. A 2.5m-high brick perimeter wall defines the plot boundaries and creates a sense of mystery for the dwelling behind it.
Nestled in its quiet suburban cul-de-sac in London's Teddington, Threefold House features strong geometries which create opportunities within their niches and layers. Windows are carefully carved out in places, while canopies shelter parts of the garden, and an open plan living space thrives in its angular lines that add dynamism and fun.
The ground level combines the main living spaces (including pantry, utility room and study) and the principal bedroom. It all opens up seamlessly towards the green garden.
Upstairs are three guest bedrooms, two bathrooms and a double height flexible space that can be an informal family area, or an added accommodation room if partitioned off.
The lightweight steel frame home features an engineered concrete slab with a timber-framed volume upper. Natural light and ventilation support the home's sustainable architecture efforts.
'This development illustrates how a redundant and challenging odd-shaped brownfield site can be put back into good use. It is an elegantly designed, robust, low-energy dwelling and despite being designed six years ago, it is performing to meet current environmental targets,' says KnoxBhavan director Simon Knox, who heads the studio with partner Sasha Bhavan.
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
'We applied KBe analysis, a carbon calculator system the practice has developed for benchmarking all our projects, and we were impressed by the results. The project meets the 2025 operational carbon benchmarks set by the RIBA and goes beyond the 2030 benchmark for embodied carbon. It is a project we can learn from to continue to reduce our carbon footprint as a practice.'
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).
-
From Cubism to Pop, artists’ jewellery goes on show in Palm Beach
‘Artists’ Jewelry: From Cubism to Pop, the Diane Venet Collection’ at the Norton Museum of Art showcases key pieces from an impressive collection
-
Wallpaper* checks in at Waldorf Astoria Osaka
‘It’s rare to work on a brand new hotel of this scale in Japan in today’s landscape,’ says designer Andre Fu about Osaka’s newest luxury hotel. Wallpaper* paid it an early visit
-
Ten playful bag charms to adorn your accessories
Reinvigorate past handbags or add an injection of personality with these Wallpaper*-approved bag charms, from a menagerie of animals to enormous sequins, chains and tassels
-
V&A East Storehouse is a new London museum, but not as you know it
Designed by DS+R, the V&A East Storehouse immerses visitors in history as objects of all scales mesmerise, seemingly ‘floating’ in all directions
-
Timeless yet daring, this Marylebone penthouse 'floats' on top of a grand London building
A Marylebone penthouse near Regent’s Park by design studio Wendover is transformed into a light-filled family home
-
Revamped National Gallery Sainsbury Wing unveiled: Annabelle Selldorf gives us a tour
The National Gallery Sainsbury Wing redesign by Selldorf Architects is ready to open its doors to the public in London; we took the tour
-
Wild sauna, anyone? The ultimate guide to exploring deep heat in the UK outdoors
‘Wild Sauna’, a new book exploring the finest outdoor establishments for the ultimate deep-heat experience in the UK, has hit the shelves; we find out more about the growing trend
-
A new London house delights in robust brutalist detailing and diffused light
London's House in a Walled Garden by Henley Halebrown was designed to dovetail in its historic context
-
A Sussex beach house boldly reimagines its seaside typology
A bold and uncompromising Sussex beach house reconfigures the vernacular to maximise coastal views but maintain privacy
-
This 19th-century Hampstead house has a raw concrete staircase at its heart
This Hampstead house, designed by Pinzauer and titled Maresfield Gardens, is a London home blending new design and traditional details
-
An octogenarian’s north London home is bold with utilitarian authenticity
Woodbury residence is a north London home by Of Architecture, inspired by 20th-century design and rooted in functionality