In order to fit the new building on this tightly-packed street corner, the designers undoubtedly drew on their inner child to find the creative, playful and unabashed energy that emanates from this creation. Rather than concentrating the accommodation units into a single linear block, they made the decision to split the project into three buildings that cohabit in the greatest intimacy, without jostling one another, thanks to the subtle interplay of scale and materials. The highest block, clad in a host of shades of blue-tinted glass, stretches its vertical lines up to the sky; the very narrow central block, covered in reflective anodised aluminium, provides the link with its medium height; lastly the lowest of the three buildings, entirely covered in terracotta, contrasts with the overall development, offering a more marked presence, viewed by the
architects as a sign of robustness and firm roots. Described by its designers as a sculpted block, this cubic building cleverly avoids the impression of a solid mass thanks to a graphic, dynamic façade. Grey ridged Piterak® Slim rainscreen cladding panels, installed horizontally, are combined here with smooth, lighter coloured terracotta elements that frame the windows and mark out a grid effect in relief. These pieces were custom-developed by Terreal to meet the architects’ goal of creating a grid pattern with no visible joints, except for those forming a square at the corners.
London , United-Kingdoms
Holbrook House
Do some architects maybe have secret magical powers? You might well believe it when you see the incredible work done by the Simpson Haugh architecture practice in the Ealing area of London. In place of an austere, characterless building, there now stands a superb student residence, characterised by lightness and imaginativeness that cleverly occupy the space.
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Year of delivery
2021
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Location
London United-Kingdoms
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Architect / signatory
Simpson Haugh
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Project owner
Downing
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Installation company
Proteus facades
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Photograph
Matthew White
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Product name
Piterak Slim Custom
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Product form
Standard
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Epidermis texture
Through body colour
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Surface appearance
Plain natural
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Color
12. Light grey, 13. Storm grey
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Work
Renovation










Titre d'article
Pulsating grid pattern
The word of
Simpson Haugh, Architect
InterviewDeborah Mclean, architect from the Simpson Haugh practice
“Simpson Haugh is particularly keen on natural products. We’ve turned to Terreal on several occasions and explored numerous forms of creative expression with terracotta. Its nature enables us, in fact, to create architecture that is both robust and characterful, particularly well-rooted and connected thanks to its natural tones. The huge variety of module sizes, profiles and finishes are a real source of inspiration. For Holbrook House, we opted to devise a façade with depth, by layering colours and textures using a single type of material. Terreal was very proactive in developing novel, unique answers to meet our aspirations. In the course of the design and implementation process, our team was able to maintain a lively, constructive dialogue with the company’s representatives in the UK. Their contribution ensured strict technical requirements were met, along with accurate setting up and precise assembly. We are extremely satisfied with this collaboration and the finished product.”
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Year of delivery
2021
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Location
London United-Kingdoms
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Architect / signatory
Simpson Haugh
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Project owner
Downing
-
Installation company
Proteus facades
-
Photograph
Matthew White
-
Product name
Piterak Slim Custom
-
Product form
Standard
-
Epidermis texture
Through body colour
-
Surface appearance
Plain natural
-
Color
12. Light grey, 13. Storm grey
-
Work
Renovation