Clapham Manor Primary School, Clapham

The growing popularity of Clapham
Manor Primary School prompted the commission of a new extension,
initially simply to provide extra classrooms. However, the vision of the
architects de Rijke Marsh Morgan, working in close collaboration with the
school governors and local authorities, resulted in a master plan to
transform the school by tackling deficiencies throughout the existing
building as well as creating a new space. The new wing really catches the
eye, with its multicoloured glass façade and brick-bond pattern detailing.
The inventiveness of this façade extends to its interior wall, which
intersperses pin boards that display the children’s work with opaque and
clear areas of glass arranged at different heights to provide children of
all ages and adults with views of outside the school grounds. Unlike
traditional school buildings, there are no corridors in this new wing.
Instead, a central space leads off to the classrooms, creating an open feel.
It has won a number of awards, including the Civic Trust Award, 2010; it was
also shortlisted for the RIBA Stirling Prize in the same year.

Ed’s Shed/Sunken House; De Beauvoir Road, Hackney

Image: Ed Reeve

Ed’s Shed, also known as the Sunken House, is a prime example of contemporary
minimalism that was built in record time. It was completely finished inside
and out within roughly ten months in 2007. From the outside, there is little
to indicate that this black wooden box is a house: simply a plain slot
window at the front. However, inside the building is characterised by simple
shapes and forms, clean lines, tremendous use of light and great attention
to the manipulation of space. The house was commissioned by photographer Ed
Reeve and designed by architect David Adjaye. The rapid construction of the
house was due to its largely prefabricated nature – engineered by building
contractors Eurban Construction, it was built off site and assembled in
situ. This refined yet minimal design also uses environmentally friendly
materials: hemp insulation improves the thermal performance of the
structure, while the solid timber frame provides a significantly reduced
carbon footprint.

Foreign Office and India Office, Westminster

Image: Open House London

The stately white Italianate building between Parliament Street and St Jame’s
Park in Westminster once housed four separate government departments – the
Foreign Office, India Office, Home Office and Colonial Office. Today, it is
occupied solely by the Foreign Office and India Office. One of the finest
aspects is Durbar Court – an impressive courtyard within the building, with
a marble floor and surrounded on all four sides by three storeys of arches
and red and grey granite columns. In 1963, with the Foreign Office battling
with space issues, it was suggested that the building should be demolished
to make way for new offices. The resultant pubic debate, however, led to the
building being awarded a Grade I listing. Between 1984 and 1997 a
restoration programme brought the building back to its original splendour.

30 St Mary Axe – the Gherkin; the City

Image: Charles Robertson / Alamy

Standing at a height of 180 metres (591 feet) and colloquially referred to as
the ‘Gherkin’ because of its shape, this elongated, elliptical glass tower
is among London’s tallest structures and is certainly one of its most
distinctive. It is a remarkable building in many ways – from the
construction of its unique profile to its environmental credentials. Started
in 2001 and opened in May 2004, the Fosters and Partners-designed tower is
based on a radial plan, with a circular perimeter that widens as it rises
through its 40 floors, before tapering towards the apex. Perhaps
surprisingly, the ‘glass lens’ dome at the top is the only curved piece of
glass in the entire scheme. The building won the RIBA Stirling Prize in
2004.

Brick House, Westbourne Grove

Image: Helene Binet

Brick House by Caruso St John Architects is a contemporary family home that
has been fashioned almost entirely brick. On a practical level, brick
afforded the architects the easiest build solution on a site where extensive
concrete work was not possible. From an aesthetic point of view, the
cohesive use of brick both inside and outside creates a warm, textured
effect. The house is infused with a quiet grandeur, achieved through the
manipulation of natural light and the sculptural feel to the inside of the
building. It won a RIBA London Award in 2006 and was shortlisted for the
RIBA Stirling Prize in the same year.

Angel Building, Angel

The Angel
Building resulted form the re-imagining of a dreary, early-1980s
commercial block and was designed to act as a catalyst for the regeneration
of the area. The redevelopment was commissioned by Derwent London and the
architects Allford Hall Monaghan Morris undertook the work, reusing the
building’s existing concrete structure. There were two key objectives: to
create a positive and inspirational working environment; and to do so in as
sustainable a manner as possible. As well as an energy-efficient glazed
skin, other energy-saving features include rainwater-harvesting systems for
flushing lavatories and watering plants, and low-energy lighting systems
with fittings controlled by daylight sensors. The spacious roof terraces
afford remarkable views over the City of London and the West End. In 2011 it
was shortlisted for the RIBA Stirling Prize.

Burton House, Kenish Town

Dating from 1988, Burton
House, by architect Richard Burton of Ahrends Burton Koralek Architects,
is an acutely innovative piece of contemporary architecture that balances
energy conservation with livability. Flanked by a large, circular gate with
wavy vertical bands of undulating steel, it has all the presence of a
fortified portal; inside the perimeter is a magnificent 150-year-old plane
tree. It is an uplifting domestic residence that matches supreme quality of
design, execution and materials with an inspiring plan that accounts for the
specific needs of the home’s owners.

Lumen, King’s Cross

Image: Alamy

A corner of tranquility close to the heart of King’s Cross. The original
church on this site was a Gothic building, which suffered irreparable bomb
damage during World War II and was consequently replaced with a new
building, which opened in 1965. In 2007, the church commissioned architects
Theis and Khan to redesign, update and extend the building. It was renamed
Lumen United Reformed Church. Set within the main body of the church is the
sacred space, known as the Shaft of Light. The striking, freestanding
structure is shaped like a giant, slanting, white rendered cone, 11 metres
(36 feet) high, with a single opening in the roof. It offers a secluded area
for worship or private gatherings. The enclosed ‘room’ feels protected and a
world away from the busy London streets outside. The lack of decorative
detailing encourages undistracted contemplation. As a result of the
outstanding transformation of this church the project won a RIBA Award in
2009.

31b St Mary’s Road, Wimbledon

One of several modest private homes designed by the architects Peter Foggo and
David Thomas, 31b
St Mary’s Road was finished in 1965 and is one of a series of
three houses, initially identical, built in the grounds of a large Edwardian
house. The house reveals the influence of the American Case Study Houses
scheme, which was a post-Second World War building project in which major
architects were commissioned to design and build efficient, inexpensive,
inspiring homes to cater to the residential housing boom of 1945 to the
mid-1960s. The Case Study project was sponsored by Arts and Architecture
magazine, with the underlying aim being to encourage stimulating and
attractive designs for low budget homes. Light was a major consideration,
evident in the expanses of glass walls and through the insertion of roof
lights. From the outside, the low-lying house has an almost translucent
quality and it sits so unobtrusively within the surrounding landscape.

Victoria Thornton is founding director of Open-City, London’s leading
independent architecture organisation and the body behind Open
House London. Her newly published book Open
House London showcases 100 of the most inspiringly designed
buildings in the capital (including the ten listed above) and is a companion
guide to the annual event. The hardback book is published by Ebury Press and
its RRP is £25.