Brick House (London)

The Brick House in Bayswater is a notable example of modern residential architecture that occupies a rare piece of empty land. This site remained an undeveloped bomb site from the Blitz for over half a century after the second world war. It was eventually transformed into a private home in two thousand five by the architects Caruso St John. The design team had to navigate extreme logistical challenges to build on this restricted backland plot. They secured more than twenty separate legal agreements with neighbors just to begin construction. The building is largely hidden from the main street, as it is tucked away behind a traditional Victorian terrace. Its layout is unconventional because the site is hemmed in by surrounding buildings on three sides. To ensure the interior felt open and airy despite these constraints, the architects partially excavated the ground floor and integrated large, strategically placed skylights. The footprint of the house is uniquely curved, a shape the architects famously compared to the profile of a horse head. The project gained significant recognition in the architectural community, earning a place on the shortlist for the prestigious Stirling Prize in two thousand six. It stands as a departure from the area’s historic stucco-fronted facades, using heavy, textured brickwork to create a distinct, quiet presence in a dense urban block.