Catching Sun House by @studioshaw – as seen on @channel4@granddesignstv : House of the Year.
Flooded with natural light, Catching Sun House is built on brownfield land in Walthamstow, London. Tucked away and barely visible from the road, the site had perhaps been too challenging for a commercial developer (there were 27 party walls). The architect-owner from Studioshaw has used great skill to respond very deliberately to context and orientation to create an unexpected and serene home
The approach to sustainability included planning for a simplified building process and reducing the demands for future maintenance – there are no plastered or painted finishes outside or in. The spaces flow harmoniously with a strictly limited architectural palette of materials of fair-face blockwork (which satisfyingly runs continuously from inside to out), polished concrete floors and plywood roof linings on a timber frame.
Punches of colour in the fixtures and the backdrop of plants throughout give life to the space. Detailed junctions have been skilfully executed, and the materials elevated beyond their individual qualities.
➡️ Explore the project online now: riba.org/HouseOfTheYear
📺 Our annual award is awarded for the UK’s best new home, with the shortlisted houses revealed on Grand Designs: House of the Year, Wednesdays at 8pm on Channel 4 until 10 December.
RIBA House of the Year Award is sponsored by @rensonworldwide
#HouseOfTheYear #RIBAawards #GrandDesigns
We’re on a roll! Alongside Studioshaw’s recent win at the Architects’ Journal Awards, we’re thrilled to share that our Catching Sun House has also been highly commended for the Manser Medal and is now a finalist in the Civic Trust Awards! It’s wonderful to see our Re:Low philosophy redefining modern, sustainable living being recognised across the board.
Huge thanks to everyone who’s been part of this journey with us!
@architectsjournal@civictrustawards
#CatchingSunHouse #ArchitectureAwards #AJAwards #CivicTrustAwards #mansermedal
Located among the Victorian dwellings of Walthamstow, East London, Catching Sun House turns a backland plot into a secluded green oasis.
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Designed by @studioshaw , photographed by @jamesbrittainphotographs
The story of how we collaborated with @mitreandmondays and @yesmakeldn to design and deliver a large scale temporary exhibition with zero waste and total material reuse.
The starting point for the Marilyn exhibition was that the design had to adhere to our Re:Low objectives, so all materials could be reused and recycled.
Display cases were constructed from gold-anodised aluminium topped with Green Cast, a 100% recycled and recyclable acrylic, standardised to two sizes to give the visitor journey visual consistency. Display boards were made from Honext, a carbon-negative, fully biodegradable material produced from paper industry waste.
Critically, nothing in the show was glued and all materials were pinned rather than screwed, the vitrines were not fixed to the brickwork structure, and standardised vitrine sizes were designed for easy dismount and reuse. All elements were prefabricated off-site, enabling a faster and more sustainable installation and deinstallation process.
Lighting used tiny standard lamp-style spotlights within the vitrines, allowing the house lights to be turned off entirely and creating intimate pools of light throughout.
Following the demount, all the material was collected and reused to build other community projects around London, including a community space in Brixton and an LGBT community space in East London.
BRAND ACTIVATIONS
Temporary projects that create big impact.
1. Colour Way for @craigandrosepaints . 2019
2. Made Thought Store in collaboration with @made_thought . 2019
3. Dining Terrace for @bistrotheque . 2022
A planning application for Eastleigh Court was submitted a few weeks ago.
Eastleigh Court is an ambitious refurbishment, extension and decarbonisation of a Grade II listed estate set within 5.5 hectares of landscaped grounds in Wiltshire. The project brings the building back into use as short-stay accommodation, with space for events and gatherings.
The pavilion has a square footprint, with a hidden acoustically sealed event space at its centre and sauna, steam room, gym and covered dining area around its perimeter. Large limestone blocks create oversized window surrounds and gentle curves around openings bring light into the depth of the plan.
Structural Engineering @structure.workshop
Landscape Design @ed.olley
Environmental Engineer @skellyandcouch
Planning: Newmark
A planning application for Eastleigh Court was submitted a few weeks ago.
Eastleigh Court is an ambitious refurbishment, extension and decarbonisation of a Grade II listed estate set within 5.5 hectares of landscaped grounds in Wiltshire. The project brings the building back into use as short-stay accommodation, with space for events and gatherings.
The landscape proposal includes 515 new trees, extensive areas of long grasses and native wildflowers as well as a new wildlife pond. Together these elements reintroduce structure and biodiversity to the site, creating a series of spaces for staying, walking and gathering.
Structural Engineering @structure.workshop
Landscape Design @edwardolley
Environmental Engineer @skellyandcouch
Planning Consultant - Newmark
#PlanningSubmission #HeritageArchitecture #Refurbishment #AdaptiveReuse #sustainabledesign
Eastleigh Court was submitted for planning a few weeks ago.
Eastleigh Court is an ambitious refurbishment, extension and decarbonisation of a Grade II listed estate set within 5.5 hectares of landscaped grounds in Wiltshire. The project brings the building back into use as short-stay accommodation, with space for events and gatherings.
New build elements are constructed using timber and limestone, including a stepped gable ground floor extension and a low-slung pavilion building with a kinked hip roof.
Structural Engineering @structure.workshop
Landscape Design @edwardolley
Environmental Engineer @skellyandcouch
Planning Consultant - Newmark
Mark spent last week visiting shortlisted projects as part of the RIBA London Awards jury.
There were several full days of building visits, with lengthy discussion and deliberations, seeing a wide range of projects up close and hearing directly from the teams behind them.
Thank you to everyone who hosted the visits and shared the journeys behind their buildings. So fascinating.
#RIBAAwards #ArchitectureJury #ArchitectureUK #Studioshaw
We’re building an alpine chalet.
Shaped by our Re:low philosophy, we’re retaining as much of the original building as possible. We’re keeping the chalet’s Haute Savoie character, taking a fabric-first approach to re-introduce warmth and texture using local materials and celebrating the existing concrete structure.
We’re also integrating and testing with AI at Studioshaw (slide 1) as a tool to help fast and efficient client visualisation, letting us share our ideas quickly in a relatable way. It means we can spend more time thinking and solving problems, and less time at the drawing board, getting what’s in our heads in front of clients in a way they understand.
See you at apres!
FORM & MATERIAL STUDIES
Testing massing options for a current heritage project, exploring how new volume can sit comfortably alongside the existing building.
In parallel, we’re developing the façade strategy, including a stepped stone cladding system to create depth, shadow and texture.
#Materiality #FacadeDesign #StoneCladding #HeritageArchitecture #Studioshaw
