Hidden House in Clerkenwell,London, contender for Riba House of the Year, and is a triumph of design ingenuity over challenging site contraintsVisitors to Hidden House,in London’s Clerkenwell, often need a limited help to find it. It’s virtually invisible from three sides because it nestles into the angles of an aged boundary wall that runs between back gardens and an imposing Victorian school. As owner Selim Bayer explains: “You’re walking around the wall and suddenly there’s a door. People are always amazed and query, or ‘Oh! Are we here?’”It’s not just an obscure spot,but also an unpromising one. The house is built on the site of a caretaker’s shed and the scrap of wasteland behind it. Because it is bounded on three sides by a Grade II listed wall, only the fourth side has windows. So it’s a revelation to approach inside and be struck by the sense of space and light in here. It is proof positive of the power of good architecture and has justly earned a place on the Riba House of the Year long-list, and currently being explored in a special Grand Designs television series.
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Source: guardian.co.uk