Living over the shopby Maike Burk | 15.02.2014

Slip House

Three staggered boxes are stacked upon each other in Brixton, London – and thereby form the Slip House. An area of almost 200 square metres serves the architect couple of Carl Turner Architects as a home and office. 

Wide Open

 The upper two boxes consist of translucent and transparent glass panels – this allows for sufficient light and, therefore, privacy in the living area. Despite the situation in the middle of the city. On the upper floor, the translucent glass continues beyond the façade, creating a closed roof garden. With its overhanging cubage, the Slip House has a sculptural appearance; completely different from the design language of the surrounding Victorian houses. The choice of material is also unusual for this area: the glass panels create various lighting situations as well as insights into the house or views from the house outside.The architects are generally interested in combining working with living ('living over the shop'). The ground floor serves the couple for working purposes, the bedrooms are situated in the middle part of the building, and the living area is found above. The Slip House is a prototype for a diverse type of house. It can be used either as a mere dwelling house, as a studio with an apartment, or as two separate apartments. Since the outer walls are supporting, the interior may be conversed flexibly – without a lot of effort. 

Naturally Sustainable

 A solar assisted heat pump provides an underground thermal store with energy. The building uses the sun for power (photovoltaics) and storm water for reducing water consumption. A mechanical ventilation with heat recovery completes the concept. As a result, the house is one of the most energy-sufficient houses in Great Britain. The architects are not mistaken when they say they succeeded in creating an attractive building – despite the focus on sustainability. They succeed in avoiding the common conflict between aesthetics and functionality. Consequentially, the building will serve as a prototype for other projects by the architects. Hence, one may look forward to further specimens.