Niwa House by Takero Shimazaki Architects
South London
In the summer of 2020, t-sa were approached by a young couple in search of suitable land to build a new family home. The site needed to accommodate a house that would be fully accessible, preferably horizontally unlike a traditional vertical terraced house.
The client’s connection with Japan inspired them to seek a relationship between the house and the garden rather like the concept of engawa, a covered corridor running along the perimeter of traditional Japanese dwellings – Niwa in Japanese means garden. Additional aspirations included a house conveying texture, raw materiality and quiet atmosphere.
A vacant, derelict plot of land in South London was selected. The site, formerly the warehouse of a glass manufacturer, was set behind a row of terraced houses, located at the end of a narrow, overgrown lane. A few remnants of the industrial activity lingered on site, including a small structure at the rear, over the footprint of which a new outbuilding was designed. Working with the Structural Engineers Webb Yates, a hybrid structure was developed consisting of an exposed timber frame and stone sheathing. The tall glulam columns spanning over both storeys rise to meet a network of beams layered on two levels. These, in turn, support and work in tandem with thick limestone slabs providing thermal mass and rigidity to the slender timber structure. Light entering overhead through punctured skylights and a clerestory between stacked beams filters through soft curtains, producing a play of hard and soft shadows.
The structure and the house is considered a lightweight pavilion – a continuous series of spaces flowing into each other, extending from inside to outside through the enclosed garden and below ground courtyards. This connection is maintained through a glazed envelope creating a thermal enclosure in between the sites surrounding boundary walls. Timber columns and beams are proud of internal walls, treated with clay render, providing a soft backdrop to the structural network. The roof beams protrude towards the pergola which nearly touches the garden wall, creating spaces of privacy filled with carefully selected planting. An exquisite design which has already received recognition in the 2025 RIBA National Awards.
photography by Anton Gorlenko and Felix Koch
ARCHITECT
Takero Shimazaki Architects
6a Peacock Yard,
London SE17 3LH
T: 020 7928 9171
Website: www.t-sa.co.uk
