Open House Festival

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Step inside some of the most creatively designed homes featured in this year's Open House Festival. From the detailed elegance of the Tree Courtyard House to the sustainable innovations of the Green House, each property in this collection embodies the cutting edge of contemporary architecture. These spaces are more than just residences; they are thoughtful expressions of design, where every detail is crafted to enhance the experience of living.

Whether it's the integration of nature in the Douglas Fir House or the clever space transformations in the Two-Up Two-Down House, each project showcases the unique vision of the architects and designers behind them. These homes highlight how modern living can be functional and beautiful whilst blending old with new.

Join us to celebrate these extraordinary spaces, where creativity meets practicality, and discover the stories behind the bricks, beams, and gardens. Experience firsthand how these homes not only push the boundaries of design but also celebrate the individuality of those who live in them.

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1 Halliwick Road

residence

A low energy refurbishment of an Edwardian house, with rear extension and loft conversion. Wood fibre insulation, MVHR, airtightness layer, triple glazing, timber structure and low embodied energy materials.

Architecture for London, 2020

As the trend towards hyper-local retail and 15-minute cities grows, people are returning to high streets for a friendly, familiar experience. Are we reviving the heyday of ‘the parade,’ where local shops like butchers & bakers were steps away? Join Concrete Communities + Aucoot to discuss the evolution of the built environment and the future of independent local shopkeepers in our digital age.

Ian Chalk Architects, 2022

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Blockmakers Arms

housing

Visit a secluded urban courtyard forming part of the transformation of a Grade II listed former pub

Erbar Mattes, 2021

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Don't Move, Improve! - Two-up Two-down House

residence, architectural practice

The Two-Up Two-Down house is architectural practice Khan Bonshek's self build home, and winner of the Don't Move Improve 2024 Transformation Award. The house is a reworking of a mid terrace, using imaginative spatial devices to maximise the limited floor area. Double height volumes, exposed structure and the blurring of rooms combine to introduce light and create the illusion of space.

Khan Bonshek, 2018

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Douglas Fir House

residence, garden

A high sustainable, prefabricated Canadian Douglas fir rear extension to the garden flat of a converted Edwardian terraced house.

Christian Brailey Architects, 2021

Guided tour

Green House

housing

RIBA House of the Year: A new exposed CLT-frame house, built on a site once occupied by market garden greenhouses, featuring a planted façade with sliding external screens and a riad-style central atrium, assisting in natural daylighting, ventilation and cooling.

Hayhurst and Co., 2021

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London Fields extension

residence

VATRAA's fibre-reinforced concrete extension to a Victorian house in London Fields is a project about materials, light and views. On the inside, the rough concrete floor, bench and worktop are balanced by oak and a jute fabric inspired by the client's art collection. On the outside, a fibre-reinforced external leaf reduced the concrete amount by 40% compared to a regular steel reinforcement.

VATRAA, 2024

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Park House

housing

Formed of a series of brick volumes set on the centre of a quiet backland site, 31/44 Architects completed a new-build family home that is deceptively open and light inside its strong masonry exterior. The mass echoes the informal backs of adjacent houses and begins to express the internal layout, where different height spaces lend hierarchy to the principal rooms.

31/44 Architects, 2016

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Peckham House

residence

Surman Weston has completed its first self-build project, Peckham House, in South London. A resilient, characterful, and experiential family home, that reflects our personalities and architectural interests.

Surman Weston, 2023

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Pirouette House

housing

Overhaul of an ex-local authority home in Islington with a new timber cloister that encircles a hidden courtyard and a series of unexpected spaces that pirouette around a triangular column. Access to 12 Davey Close via passage next to 48 Arundel Square

Artefact, 2022

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Tree Courtyard House

housing

Tree Courtyard House is a newly completed two-bedroom house in the heart of Walthamstow Village designed by RIBA award-winning architects ao–ft. The peaceful single-story home is arranged around a secluded courtyard, and is a standard-setting example of using CLT construction to craft a sustainable, adaptable home.

Ao-ft, 2024

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Walsingham Road

housing

This four double-bedroom Victorian terraced home sits on a quiet, tree-lined residential street between Clapton and Stoke Newington. A comprehensive restoration and extension project by Partner London artfully balances the restored original features with natural, sympathetic materials and considered details to create a home well-suited to modern lifestyles within the original Victorian fabric.

Partner London, 2024