Canal House and Little Canal House
The two houses form part of a family of interventions on this site along Regents Canal, seeking to reinvigorate a neglected plot with a prominent frontage. The relationship between the wider site and the canal was key to the design - the houses take advantage of waterway views whilst seamlessly blending into context.
Both the Canal House and the Little Canal House, utilise hand-made, grey-brown bricks which contrast the surrounding apartment buildings without being overstated. Despite generous first floor living spaces, the ground floor footprints are relatively small - allowing a connection between the canal and the wider site, which has been paved to create a Mews-style environment. The main mass of the buildings is determined by the surrounding context; designed to retain the views and privacy of its neighbours.
Internally, the ground floor rooms sit below the water level of the canal, accommodating more intimate bedroom spaces. The outlook from these rooms provides a unique view of the canal from water level, emphasising the strong connection to the surrounding context by placing residents at eye level to the passing boats. These enclosed spaces are contrasted by the first floor, which provides vast open living spaces with unparalleled views along the waterway. Timber benches highlight the large corner windows before extending further into the rooms. In the Canal House, the open living area is separated from the kitchen and dining space by a sculptural oak staircase.
You can read more about the reorganisation of the main building here.
Photography: Emanuelis Stasaitis, Lina Viluma
Location: Camden, London
Completed in: Canal House 2020 (other interventions on site to be completed in 2024)
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