Brick House London, Residential Building by Caruso St John, Architect, Review

Brick House, England : West London Property

Contemporary West London residence – design by Caruso St John Architects

15 Jun 2005

Brick House London

Location: W2

Date built: 2005

Design: Caruso St John Architects

Brick House by Caruso St John Architects – Review by Hugh Miller for e-architect:

As the only residential scheme on the shortlist, the Brick House’s singularity demonstrates the difficulty of producing good homes. The product of an almost strangulating brief, the house could not elevate more than 1 storey from ground level and is heavily overlook on 3 sides.

The effect of this on the internal spaces is marked. Shards of light penetrate the concrete ceiling slab through shafts, orientated to maintain privacy, making the living areas emit a cave-like quality. Light is subjected to taut control as it plays over the brick interior casting shadow as well as luminosity over its angular forms.

Enough rhetoric, does it work as a house? The roughness of the material pallet along with the sharp-edged detailing appears too dominant to provide the ‘home’ with a sense of sanctuary or comfort. It seems to lack the ability to withstand cloths being thrown on the floor, dodgy posters on the wall, the things that make our houses into homes. This house, although it triumphs over adversity in terms of brief and context, looses its way slightly when subjected to the way people actually live.

Brick House London architects – Caruso St John

Stirling Prize nominee 2006

Location: London W2, England, UK