Photo credits: © Polysmiths Architects, The Modern House and FRENCH+Tye
The Cork House is a visionary new build project designed by Charles Wu, a director at architecture studio Polysmiths that has won numerous awards.
The house uses sustainable materials to create a quiet, comfortable, and modern home in Forest Gate – a bustling part of East London. Allied to the use of timber was inventive incorporation of cork as cladding material. Supplied by Mike Wye and sourced from Portugal, cork provides a sustainable and highly insulating material that the architect also appreciated for its pleasing colour, texture, and smell. A further practical benefit of the use of cork is its compliance with fire-proofing regulations and enhanced energy efficiency properties.
A few years ago, Charles Wu was looking for a plot on which to create a home away from the noise of east London. His search led him to a brownfield site in Forest Gate, not too far from the green plains of Wanstead Flats and Epping Forest. But the real beauty of this space is its remarkable position, set back from the street. Reached by walking down a private path, the quiet site is surrounded by the back gardens of 10 Victorian terraced houses.
The three bedroomed house demonstrates how to best utilise infill plots where Building Regulations limit the overall height of the building. By excavating a part of the site Polysmiths were able to drop the floor by half a storey to provide a split-level interior with bright and airy living spaces and windows and skylights at various levels. Additionally, three courtyards light up the interior living spaces at different times of the day.
As Charles says, “it makes you interact with the house as if it’s breathing.” The courtyards have been designed to “complete the living spaces” and, as a result, feel more like roofless rooms than gardens – even their palettes of brick and gravel speak to the tactility and tones of the cork interiors. Standing there is a reminder of the peaceful location too. “All you can see are the neighbours’ trees,” says Charles. “It’s a wonderful space to be in – and the quietness is just precious.”
The Cork House is winner of the 2023 American Institute of Architects Design Awards and the 2024 Surface Design Awards as well as being shortlisted for the 2023 New London Awards and 2024 RIBA Awards.
Engineering consultants: Price & Myers
Expanded cork suppliers: Mike Wye – sustainable building suppliers and experts in insulation systems.
For further information: Polysmiths Architects
