Dezeen Magazine

Photo of Cast House

Cast concrete volumes animate south London home by Bureau de Change

Architecture studio Bureau de Change has used concrete to playfully mimic motifs drawn from surrounding 1930s brick housing at Cast House in south London.

Located on a suburban street in Clapham, the home is intended as a "contemporary interpretation" of the surrounding large red-brick houses that have gable roofs, bay windows and covered porches.

Front elevation of Cast House in London
Bureau de Change has completed Cast House in London

Finished in a combination of brickwork and concrete, the four storeys of the home are staggered upwards and set atop a basement level and sunken concrete patio.

"The entrance elevation is sensitively designed so that the house sits discreetly among its heritage neighbours, playfully responding to the established rhythm of the street," explained Bureau de Change.

Stepped concrete forms of London home
It is finished in concrete and brick

"The rear facade is bolder in its design, presented as a cascading sequence of tiered cubic volumes which project out into the garden and a sunken patio," the studio continued.

At Cast House's entrance, the ground-level facade, porch and bay windows are formed from concrete cast with an interlocking brick pattern in the corners that mirror the brickwork above.

Rear image of Cast House in Clapham
Staggered concrete forms animate the rear elevation

The smooth, pale finish of the concrete was achieved by using a high amount of ground granulated blast-furnace slag, which the studio said also acts as a cement substitute and reduces the amount of embodied carbon dioxide.

Inside, Cast House is organised around a central suspended staircase with bright blue balustrades, creating a focal point that links each level of the home.

In the basement, a lounge and games room open onto a wide concrete staircase via sliding glass doors, which leads up to a patio and lawn above.

The ground floor living, dining and kitchen space projects out into the garden inside a rectilinear concrete form. It is the first of three similar volumes that step up the building's rear facade, gradually reducing in size.

Staircase with blue balustrades by Bureau de Change
The interior is organised around a staircase

"The inset brick detail gives the impression that the concrete volumes have been pushed into an existing facade, creating a distinction between active and passive volumes, which emphasises the volumetric gesture," said Bureau de Change.

Above, five bedrooms and three bathrooms are organised across the upper two storeys, with the rooms at the back of the home benefitting from full-height windows in the projecting concrete forms.

Basement of London home
There is a basement level

Bureau de Change is a London architecture studio founded by Katerina Dionysopoulou and Billy Mavropoulos in 2012.

Its other recent projects include the remodelling of a Victorian terrace in south London and the interior design of a mixed-use development in an art deco building in Fitzrovia.

The photography is by Gilbert McCarragher.

More images and plans

Basement plan of Cast House
Basement plan
Ground floor plan of Cast House
Ground floor plan
First floor plan of Cast House
First floor plan
Second floor plan of Cast House
Second floor plan
Photo of Cast House
Photo of Cast House
Photo of Cast House
Photo of Cast House
Photo of Cast House
Photo of Cast House
Photo of Cast House
Photo of Cast House