Over a dozen Southwark buildings, ranging from revived office buildings to a tree house slap-bang in the middle of Elephant and Castle, have been shortlisted for prestigious architectural prizes.
The Royal Institute of British Architects has chosen 76 different projects across the capital to compete for the awards.
All projects shortlisted for RIBA Regional Awards will be visited by a regional jury, and the winning projects will be announced later this spring.
Bermondsey
Former council house goes back to basics
An ex-council house transformation in Bermondsey saw the owner’s 1980s home stripped to its bare essentials.
The client wanted VATRAA to retain the home’s unassuming appearance on the outside while being “warm and inviting on the inside”.
It involved removing an overly detailed bay window, exposing its structural joists and packing the laundry room and bathroom around the communal heating system for a sustainably warm home.
19th-century tannery converted into homes and studios
Relatedarticles
Occupying the former Rich Industrial Estate, once central to Bermondsey’s 19th-century tannery trade, Coffey Architects’ building refers to the area’s manufacturing past.
The Tannery is a mixed-use project in Bermondsey that combines housing, artists’ studios and a gallery around a central courtyard.
To the north, the gallery spaces for Tannery Arts and Drawing Room are housed in a low-lying brick building topped by a sawtooth roof with skylights.
Borough
A slender tower block with panoramic views of London
When local residents hear a sixteen-storey block is going on their doorstep it’s normally cause for concern.
But wafer-thin 67 Southwark Street, designed by Allies and Morris, makes special efforts to limit its visual impact.
The slender building has one apartment per floor and, at roof level, a shared ‘belvedere’ terrace offers panoramic views of London.
An ‘unmistakably African’ centre
Established in 1964, the Africa Centre is Southwark’s go-to place for African culture and events.
When it selected Freehaus to lead on its renovation, its brief was simple; the building had to be “unmistakably African”.
The lacklustre ‘60s office building got a vibrant makeover with a multi-textured, organic interior reflecting the centre’s roots.
Camberwell
Victorian Villa treated to sensitive extension
Love Walk II is an extension and renovation of a Victorian Villa in Camberwell’s conservation area.
Designed by KnoxBhavan, floor-to-ceiling windows looking out on an expansive garden give the building an airy feel.
The client said: “Around eighteen months since we moved in. We are still constantly uplifted by the extraordinary light throughout the house, the ease with which we can use all the spaces, the practicality of the layout and the beauty of the finishes.”
Dulwich
New roof on Edwardian home is perfect for privacy
An Edwardian house in East Dulwich was given an extension designed to deter nosey neighbours.
Architecture studio Proctor & Shaw designed a steeply-angled roof clad with red pigmented zinc.
The unique serrated-edged roof with exposed rafter tails has enhanced daylight access while the overhang gives the owners plenty of privacy.
Elephant and Castle
1970s university block gets a modern makeover
London South Bank University’s 1970s concrete block might once have been described as an ugly monolith but not after Wilkinson Eyre’s project.
The studio transformed the LSBU Hub, the largest academic on main campus, into an “open and inviting centrepiece”.
The brick facades were replaced and large glazed bays were installed to offer inwards views of the building.
Lightweight, three-dimensional cladding panels featuring a stylisation of LSBU’s sail emblem giving the building a distinct civic quality.
A wooden sanctuary in Elephant and Castle
The Tree House is a timber building at the centre of Elephant Park acting as a hireable events space for both the local community and private companies.
Designed by Bell Phillips, it’s nestled amongst the boughs of a mature plane tree and features a sunny roof terrace.
Its framework is largely built from cross-laminated timber, finished with timber cladding and bamboo decking.
‘Crumbling’ Victorian building gets makeover
Located near the Imperial War Museum, All Saints was retrofitted by EPR Architects.
Following decades of “unsympathetic” alterations, the studio decided to take the reigns of the project to renew the crumbling Victorian building.
“Drawing on our substantial heritage expertise, the transformation showcases the rich character of the original building while making bold interventions that safeguard its future as a viable workplace,” said EPR.
Peckham
A ‘Tardis’ home for a downsizing couple
Corner Fold House was designed especially for a downsizing couple who didn’t want to relocate too far.
Sandwiched between the clients’ former family home and a substation, Rick and Hannah O’Shea said it had a ‘Tardis effect’.
Designed by Whittaker Parsons, the 88sqm home features a sculpted form, high beamed ceilings and a beautifully crafted oak staircase.
Peculiar Peckham has a unique house to match
Peckham is renowned for its higgledy-piggledy character, something captured by Surman Weston’s Peckham House.
The new family home has employed distinctive “hit-and-miss” brickwork with a flat roof that echoes the design of Peckham Levels.
The house is super sustainable thanks to triple glazing, onsite photovoltaic generation and an air source heat pump.
Rotherhithe
A ‘school in a garden’
A rebuilding programme saw Southwark Council replace an existing two-form entry school with a bigger school on the same urban site.
Rotherhithe Primary School now benefits from an “unusually generous playground” and “unexpected intimate spaces” dotted around the grounds.
Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios has retained as many trees as possible to create what has become a ‘school in a garden’.
Solar revival for Waterloo church
St John’s Church, an Anglican Greek Revival building dating back to 1822, received a historic renovation.
The £5.5 million project saw Eric Parry Architects restore its interior revealing key elements of its iconic design.
The Church of England is hoping to hit net-zero carbon emissions by 2030 so the south-facing roof has been fitted with 80 solar panels.
