SOPHIE HICKS ARCHITECTS

Architect’s view:

Our goal was to create an urban house that was comfortable but sustainable – and looked and felt, in every sense, healthy. The challenge was to do so on a site of just 75m² in central London, in a conservation area where we were limited by planning constraints of two storeys.

The design aims to maximise not only the actual space internally but also the perception of space. We have thus built right up to the boundaries – something that entailed both delicate party wall negotiations and a careful choice of construction methods.

In addition, the house is visually open to the natural world outside, with abundant natural light and air and carefully framed views of the surrounding canopy of trees. The construction of the house is clean and legible. The structural frame is exposed concrete with a rough board-marked finish. The floors are polished concrete, which can be heated and cooled. The glazing of aluminium and stainless-steel framed windows and doors, some of which slide, is contained within a strongly dominant grid of T-section steel.

To reduce heat loss and solar gain, in line with Building Regulations, we chose high- specification glass, while we opted for a structure in concrete with significant thermal mass, for the same reason. The house is a quiet machine with heating, cooling, lighting and alarm systems to offset CO₂ emissions.

Contemporary houses like this are sadly rare in Kensington – and even more rarely visible from the street.