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 to 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."