83 Foxberry Road

A new-build house in London by Jack Woolley combines environmental responsibility with contextual richness

Photos
JW

Located on the disused storage yard of a former Victorian greengrocer shop in Brockley, south London, 83 Foxberry Road is a new-build house designed by architect Jack Woolley. The site is sandwiched between the original commercial premises and some piecemeal extensions added to the structure to the east.

Intended to add cohesion to the streetscape, creases in the south wall allow its brick facade to ‘fold’ between the misaligned planes of the neighbouring structures. Three frameless square windows and a white-framed, brick-clad entrance door emphasise the simplicity of the elevation.

First-, ground-floor and basement plans. Key: 1 cycle storage, 2 easy going stair, 3 entrance level, 4 potential through-floor lift, 5 bin storage, 6 accessible toilet and bathroom, 7 entrance level sleeping area

The upper-floor stops short of the east boundary, allowing direct sunlight to reach a patio garden at the rear. This is augmented by a rooflight, which runs above the living room from the front of the house to the back. Pale yellow Petersen D71 bricks evoke London yellow stocks, but their lighter tone ensures the outline of the neighbouring shop is not blurred or lost, says the architect.

Inside, split floor levels allow the compact site to be used efficiently (while conforming to Lifetime Homes requirements), with sleeping and washing facilities located on the entrance level. The scheme is certified level 4 under the Code for Sustainable Homes. Its main sustainable features include high levels of insulation and airtightness, mechanical ventilation with heat recovery, sedum roofs, photovoltaic solar panels, triple-glazed windows, and an Atag boiler with weather compensation and secondary heat recovery.