Open House has blossomed from cultish beginnings to become a staple part of London’s architectural calendar. Around the city, everything from ancient establishments, modern offices, design studios and a clutch of private residences, old and new, throw open their doors to an increasingly design-savvy public.
Open House predates the mix of good design, construction-site schadenfreude and architectural innovation chronicled in television shows like Grand Designs, but it’s ridden that wave and queues regularly go around the block for the more interesting residences. With over 750 locations to chose from, Open House fulfils its mission of laying London bare to the aesthetically inquisitive.
Here’s our selection of 10 buildings not to be missed at this year’s event, 19-20 September.
The Foundry – Social Justice Centre
Public buildings are of course open all the time, but few fulfil as vital role as the Foundry, a ‘social justice centre’ that hosts a number of organisations and charities devoted to human rights. Designed by Architecture 00, the building is a radically rebuilt shoe polish factory in Vauxhall, with a multi-layered, multi-level façade that animates its presence in the robust surrounding streetscape.
Segal Close
One of South London’s best kept secrets, Segal Close is a magical ensemble of self-build houses inspired by the guru of low-cost modern design, Walter Segal. The wooden framed, flat roofed structures have proved adaptable and durable – this particular house was original built by Segal’s assistant back in the early 80s.
Sugarhouse Studios
London architecture firm Assemble Studio were looking for a way of creating their own space and giving a bit back to their Stratford community. The answer is Sugarhouse Studios, a multi-use space that mixes tough finishes with an elegantly simply aesthetic, creating a creative hub for work, play and socialising.
Artist Studio, Kensington
Groves Natcheva’s studio is a sumptuous gem, a former stables converted into a dark and seductive pied-à-terre. The studio is also the location for a dramatic new short film, Black Ice, which will be shown during the weekend.
Pear Tree House
Jake Edgley built his own house in a typical backlot site in South London, creating an impressive and elegant family home that combines hard-wearing finishes with beautifully crafted details. Named for the original tree it winds around (part of a Victorian orchard), the house showcases persistence and attention to detail to create an enviable home.
Highpoint apartments
Open House is a good excuse to explore the capital’s design classics and few come more highly recommended than Highpoint. Berthold Lubetkin and Tecton’s virtuoso apartment building was even the envy of the continental Modernists when it opened in the 30s, and time has only sharpened the lines and elevated the status of this white-washed concrete masterpiece.
Shepherdess Walk
Solidspace are developers with a penchant for good design and an eye for a site with potential. Their new project in Shepherdess Walk brings Swiss studio Jaccaud Zein Architects to the capital for the first time, creating three houses and five apartments, each of which features interlocking floor plans and crisp brick walls.
Studio McLeod live/work space
Living over the shop is an accepted way of making the most of space and real estate in the modern city. Studio McLeod’s own home and studio is part of a new wave of creative spaces that dovetail with domestic spaces.
Kew House
London’s eclectic mix of old and new is crystallised in the Kew House created by Piercy & Company, which combines an existing stable building with contemporary steel-faced volumes. The resulting family house is idiosyncratic, expansive and utterly modern, yet feels like it has emerged organically from its Richmond site.
Studio McLeod live/work space
Living over the shop is an accepted way of making the most of space and real estate in the modern city. Studio McLeod’s own home and studio is part of a new wave of creative spaces that dovetail with domestic spaces.
