Lens House by Alison Brooks Architects

In designing spatial extensions to a 1800s-style home in London, Alison Brooks Architects decided to challenge the boundaries of tradition. One of the volumes attaches itself to the brick façade, wrapping around the rear and side of the house to form a home office, while the other sits on the ground plane as an extension to the living room. The form of these additions is distinctly modern; each face of the irregular decahedrons is either solid or glazed, so that the form naturally gives way to natural light and directs it into the interior space. To further accentuate this revolutionizing of the Victorian home, the exterior of these volumes are clad in black, though the interiors find connection with the existing spaces through a fresh coat of white paint.

Photographs © Paul Riddle