The Light House is a private house in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
that won a 2006 RIBA Award and was also short-listed for the 2006
Manser Medal for
Architecture
Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...
. It was designed by the firm of architects Gianni Botsford with environmental and structural engineering by
Arup Group.
The project inserted a new house, accessed through an archway into the end of a
Victorian
Victorian or Victorians may refer to:
19th century
* Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign
** Victorian architecture
** Victorian house
** Victorian decorative arts
** Victorian fashion
** Victorian literature ...
mews
A mews is a row or courtyard of stables and carriage houses with living quarters above them, built behind large city houses before motor vehicles replaced horses in the early twentieth century. Mews are usually located in desirable residential ...
. It was completed in 2005.
The house has been called "one of the finest new city homes to be found anywhere in the world" and has been the location for celebrity and fashion shoots.
Site and brief
The site was a
backland development surrounded by buildings on all sides. After studying the fall of light throughout the year on the site, the decision was made to build a courtyard-style house where wide open spaces and courtyards make the most of natural light while maximising privacy.
References
{{Reflist
External links
Gianni Botsford Architects, Light HouseBright FantasticHidden House of LightDecoding Courtyard Living
Buildings and structures completed in 2005
Houses in the City of Westminster
Concrete buildings and structures
Modern architecture in the United Kingdom