Solidspace teams up with Jaccaud Zein to create sensitive brick-clad housing

London seems to be bursting with new, large-scale and high end residential developments, but an equally strong number of smaller – in scale, but not ambition – housing projects have also been quietly in the making. Shepherdess Walk near the city's Old Street roundabout is one of the latest additions to the genre, a new boutique development by Solidspace and Switzerland and London based architecture practice Jaccaud Zein.
The architects, headed by Jean-Paul Jaccaud and Tanya Zein, expanded to London from Geneva in 2009 – having existing links with the British capital – and soon began collaborating with the developers. 'We formed a partnership with Solidspace to develop the project at Shepherdess Walk and found it interesting to be both client and architect at the same time,' explains Jaccaud. 'This gave us a lot of freedom on the project and we could ensure that the architectural quality of the project was never compromised.'
A site-specific approach was important to the team, and the scheme draws on the area's rich historical heritage of terraced houses. 'The material decisions stemmed mostly from a desire to establish links with the context, giving as much as possible a sense of the building having always been there,' says Jaccaud. 'Our influences are very diverse and eclectic, from Georgian domestic architecture to Milanese modernity of the 1960's through to local vernacular.'
Using brick to link the new-build with the surrounding urban fabric, the architects designed the multiple housing scheme, balancing the scale between its three larger terraced houses and the five-unit-strong apartment block.
Large openings and a number of outdoors spaces – gardens and decked terraces – bring plenty of natural light in, while a split level arrangement – a Solidspace trademark – was introduced as a 'strong guideline' to the project, providing many possibilities, as well as challenges. 'We found it very challenging to reconcile this internal complexity of the buildings with the simple forms that we wanted for the outside, to enable the project to sit simply within its urban context,' says Jaccaud. 'But it provided us with a very rich range of spatial opportunities.'
An interior palette of simple, raw materials, including light coloured plaster, brass metalwork and warm solid oak flooring, helps create a calming environment inside. Providing a peaceful haven just a stone's throw away from the bustle of nearby Shoreditch, these units are energy efficient to boot, with a well insulated envelope and minimal electrical consumption for lighting during daytime.
Clad in brick, to blend seamlessly with the surrounding urban fabric, the scheme includes three terraced houses and an apartment block consisting of five apartment units
They all feature generous interiors and Solidspace's trademark split-level arrangement
Large openings and outside space - such as decked terraces and gardens - make these units bright and in touch with the outdoors
An interior palette of simple raw materials, including light coloured plaster, brass metalwork and warm solid oak flooring, creates a calming environment inside
INFORMATION
For more information on the architects visit the website
Photography: Helene Binet
Wallpaper* Newsletter
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).
-
Gold space helmets and AI futurescapes are the unlikely inspirations for Tej Chauhan’s Rado watch
Designer Tej Chauhan’s watch is a striking, futuristic take on Rado’s 1960s Diastar Original
By Chris Hall Published
-
Swiss utilitarianism meets West Africa in this Armando Cabral and USM furniture collaboration
A centuries-old West African motif signifying movement, adaptability, and progress served as the starting point for this collaboration between New York-based designer Armando Cabral and Swiss furniture brand USM
By Ali Morris Published
-
How Satoshi Kondo is breathing new life into Issey Miyake: ‘There’s always a story to tell’
As head of Issey Miyake’s womenswear, Satoshi Kondo nods to the pioneering designer’s legacy but is cleverly crafting his own path for the next generation
By Jack Moss Published
-
Inside Powerhouse: The redevelopment of Lots Road Power Station, which once fuelled the London Underground
The twin-turreted building has followed in the footsteps of Battersea Power Station, being transformed into luxury homes and retail units
By Anna Solomon Published
-
Sadler’s Wells East opens: ‘grand, unassuming and beautifully utilitarian’
Sadler’s Wells East by O’Donnell and Tuomey opens this week, showing off its angular brick forms in London
By Tom Seymour Published
-
2025 Serpentine Pavilion: this year's architect, Marina Tabassum, explains her design
The 2025 Serpentine Pavilion design by Marina Tabassum is unveiled; the Bangladeshi architect talks to us about the commission, vision, and the notion of time
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
We celebrate the emerging London architects to be excited about
These emerging London architects are some of the capital's finest ground-breakers, movers and shakers; heralding a new generation of architecture
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
From a mobile pub to a thatched canopy: Japanese architecture and craft explored at AA show in London
'Distillation of Architecture', a new AA show in London, pairs architects with materials and makers in an exploration of craft through the Japanese lens
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
A library in a London telephone box? This is a charming reading nook full of surprises
Set in a restored London telephone box, Upper Street Little Library is a cosy beacon to encourage reading to the wider community
By Tianna Williams Published
-
This revamped east London terraced house is a music lover’s dream
An east London terraced house gets a boost of personality and sustainability thanks to Archmongers, whose transformation makes room for the owners’ creativity and extensive record collection
By Léa Teuscher Published
-
This elegant infill project slots beautifully into the London streetscape
In this infill project, a row of garages in Blackheath, south-east London, has been replaced by a contemporary family home by local practice Mailen Design
By Léa Teuscher Published