Cork Helps This Renovated Home Blend In Surprising Well With Its London Neighborhood

Houses We Love: Every day we feature a remarkable space submitted by our community of architects, designers, builders, and homeowners. Have one to share? Post it here.

Project Details:

Location: London, United Kingdom

Architect: ROAR Architects / @roar_architects

Interior Design: Nina+Co / @ninaandcodesign

Footprint: 1,205 square feet

Structural Engineer: Michael Barclay Partnership

Cabinetry Design: Craftworks Productions

Photographer: French+Tye / @frenchandtye

From the Architect: "This retrofit of a cold, leaky, and uninspiring 1970s building using predominantly natural, local, and recycled materials led to a warm, low-energy, and fossil-fuel-free family home. The site is in South Tottenham, England, which ranks in the 95th percentile for air pollution nationally. The home was originally built as a clergy house for the church next door. The ground floor was remodeled to an open-plan layout, bringing the small garage and porch into the thermal envelope. A decision was taken early not to extend the property, but to make good use of what was already there, spending budget predominantly on infrastructure and technical performance; removal of gas supply, installation of an air-source heat pump, underfloor heating, new doors and windows, cork cladding, extensive insulation work, and a huge endeavor to improve air-tightness. Thick cork and softly rounded edges make a striking presence on the street, yet the house is not imposing; smaller than surrounding buildings, it is warm, welcoming and open to the street. The cork cladding should last for 15-25 years at which point our contingency plan is to render over it with lime giving it a fresh look and protecting the insulation for many more years."