英国伦敦低碳住宅丨Architecture for London

Low Carbon House in London, UK by Architecture for London

In London’s Mussel Hill, an Edwardian house had not been renovated since the 1970s

It was radically transformed by Architecture for London, to make it more energy efficient

By adding insulation and introducing triple glazing, the architects managed to make an 80 per cent saving in heating costs

Energy-friendly materials such as timber and stone we used internally

An Edwardian home in Muswell Hill has been transformed into an energy efficient building through the use of low-carbon materials

Today, housing stock in the UK is faced with two main issues – rising energy costs and the pressing need to reduce carbon emissions. The Low Carbon House by Architecture for London offers an approach that tackles both issues without compromising on aesthetics.

The practice has refurbished and extended a three-storey home in Muswell Hill, celebrating its Edwardian character while creating a low-energy and ‘healthy’ building.

founder of Architecture for London, assumed the role of both architect and client. He purchased the home, which was covered in ‘floral carpets and flock wallpaper’, with the intention of refurbishing it. He wanted to demonstrate the sustainable retrofit of a typical terraced home within a constrained budget. To him, small budgets are crucial to replicating at scale.

The house had been left untouched since the 1970s and suffered from considerable damp and condensation issues. Energy requirements were reduced drastically by insulating, triple-glazing and improving air tightness. A rear extension was also constructed and the home now boasts an 80

per cent

saving in space heating costs for a house of its size.

From the main street, the house looks fairly typical. The facade has been lightly refurbished, as has its Edwardian door. One would normally expect to see a decorative hallway when they walk into these types of homes, with the space being split into a series of small rooms rather than one continuous volume. Here, however, original partition walls at ground level have been removed to provide a brighter open-plan reception space that morphs into the garden behind. The original timber structure of the house has been exposed, enhancing a pared-back, stark aesthetic.

materials with low embodied energy have been carefully employed throughout – namely timber, stone and lime plaster. No paint was required at all: lime plaster has a smooth, natural finish and provides a layer of airtightness. The architects worked with a restricted palette of materials to reduce the number of deliveries to site (by extension reducing both cost and embodied energy). The same stone and oak-faced plywood are used throughout.

Ridley says the project has been extremely rewarding and has enabled a warm and comfortable home. He highlights features such as the window seat in the kitchen as being inviting even on the coldest of days. The central limestone island, which he d

escribes as

‘the heart of the home’, is his favourite component. It was designed without cupboards to appear as a solid block of stone in the middle of the space. The polish means that it gently reflects light, revealing the fossils embedded within the stone. It is a poignant reminder that minimally processed, low-carbon materials are beautiful too. A considered use of natural materials can change the polluting construction industry into an industry that is actively carbon sequestering – and the Low Carbon House is a step in the right direction.