Ao-ft inserts mass-timber residence into London terrace

Timber battens and mullions cowl the facade of the cross-laminated-timber Spruce Home in Walthamstow, London, which was accomplished in 2021 and is the primary constructed undertaking by native follow Ao-ft.

Positioned in a conservation space on an infill website between terraced homes, Ao-ft used cross-laminated timber (CLT) to create the two-storey home.

The studio referenced the world’s historical past as a village excessive avenue by making a glazed “store entrance” for the facade of the three-bedroom residence, shielded by a display of picket battens.

In the back of the lengthy, slim website, a separate studio constructing sits on the alternative facet of a 12-metre-deep backyard and has been completed with matching timber cladding.

“Spruce Home and Studio was designed to suit gently inside their streetscape and website, however so as to add curiosity and delight too,” stated Ao-ft founding director Liz Tatarintseva.

“Crafting locations that reimagine their historic beginnings and reinterpret their capabilities – on this case a store entrance turning into a house – makes for a captivating design course of,” she continued.

A tall door within the facade’s picket display leads into an entrance space, which steps down to permit the bottom ground residing, eating and kitchen house to sit down on the similar stage because the backyard.

The solid concrete base of this ground doubles as window seating, in addition to a basis for rows of cupboards and counters that flank the eating and kitchen space.

Full-height home windows and wood-framed glass doorways present a visible and bodily connection to the backyard from each the residing space and the eating space.

A white, laser-cut metal staircase screened by a perforated metallic display leads as much as the primary ground, which incorporates two bedrooms and a household rest room, and the principle en-suite bed room on the second ground.

All through, the interiors have been stored “understated”, with timber, chrome steel and polished concrete used to bounce mild across the interiors and create delicate textural patterns.

“We used the undertaking as an exploration of supplies, bringing fabrication into the design course of, and sustainable building, inspecting how we will construct locations which are lovely and have minimal environmental influence,” added founding director Zach Fluker.

The standalone studio, constructed utilizing a standard timber body, incorporates a workspace illuminated by clerestory home windows that solid pure mild throughout a ceiling of uncovered beams.

Ao-ft was based in 2017 by Liz Tatarintseva and Zach Fluker in 2017, each of whom studied on the Architectural Affiliation in London.

Different residential tasks not too long ago featured in Walthamstow, London, embrace a charred timber extension by Gresford Architects and a house on the positioning of a former storage by Studioshaw.

The pictures is by Rory Gardiner.