Award winning house has lower floor at basement level and is invisible from the street.

Congratulations to our members LTS Architects who have recently won the Evening Standard, Highly Commended Award for Outstanding Architectural Merit.  The Hidden House has been designed to be completely invisible from the street, and is located within a conservation area on a complex urban site in Knightsbridge. It is a unique and private family home created from two former workshop buildings and a retail space.

“The client wanted something that was luxurious but at the same time understated, light and airy. One of the benefits of the project was that the tight and difficult areas of the brief forced us to come up with creative solutions in terms of how we burrowed down into the ground and how we got light into these subterranean spaces.” – Project Architect, Robert Haworth

The existing building has been substantially rebuilt and restructured, transforming the internal spaces and creating a new sunken garden and atria.  The main living areas are arranged as a sequence of linked open-place spaces, including a mezzanine study level within the roof pitch. Large timber trusses help to define the internal spaces while a palette of timber, brick and concrete creates a contemplative environment. The garden and atria provide a flow of daylight to the lower level, containing three double bedrooms, including a large master suite with an en-suite bathroom resting within the arched pavement vaults.

One of the biggest challenges was that the original building lacked natural light and space, as it was never intended as a family home.  The design team therefore had to work around the existing space to create areas that would allow natural light, whilst also ensuring privacy from the neighbouring properties.