Triangle House – ADC

Just beyond the southern outskirts of London, a striking new wing has been added to home in Epsom. Originally built by the development arm of Ideal Homes in the 1950s, the home takes cutes from the client’s Caribbean heritage and has been designed to capture the warmth of the afternoon sun. Nestled at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac overlooking Roseberry Park, ‘Triangle House’ transforms a once dark and gloomy rear extension into a series of light-filled living spaces that connect seamlessly with the garden and the exotic planting of the outdoors beyond.

The client, a couple nearing retirement, sought a home that would comfortably accommodate extended family and friends while avoiding the conventional open-plan layout. Responding to this brief, Artefact produced with a design that created a sequence of interconnected spaces that feel both distinct and unified. The new wing is marked by an enfilade of living areas that flow from the entrance through to the garden, each space framed by carefully positioned openings.

“When we first visited the site on a spring day, we sat outside at the back of the garden, discussing the project with our clients in the late afternoon sun,” said Daniel Marmot, a director at Artefact. “The original house had a poorly constructed north-facing extension at the back, resulting in gloomy spaces inside and an awkward, shady garden. By removing the extension and constructing a new wing to the house that extends into the afternoon sun, we re-proportioned the garden and changed the way the house functions.”

“The client was keen to avoid open plan kitchen and living spaces. Our design created a series of spaces that feel distinct yet connected with openings that frame views from one space to the next. These living space spill onto a large terrace for entertaining in the sunset that the client has nicknamed ‘Club Tropicana’. With a colourful material palette and tropical garden design by Phenomena, we aimed to create an optimistic, transportative house that feels very unusual in a suburban UK setting.”

The extension is defined by its triangular blue blocks and terracotta tiles, found on the garden-facing facade, which is more expressive than what faces the street. The rhythmic triangular piers capture the changing light throughout the day, while the terracotta tiles echo the distinctive arrowhead tiles of the original house.

Triangle Houses’ expansive terrace, aka ‘Club Tropicana’, is framed by lush, exotic planting by Phenomena, becomes an extension of the living areas, inviting gatherings and relaxation in the setting sun.

Given the constraints of budget, Artefact specified single leaf walls, constructed from 140mm, hollow, fair-faced blocks, insulated and rendered externally – a move which not only simplified construction but also brought down costs and reduced the overall carbon footprint by 45 per cent compared to traditional cavity wall construction.

The internal structure, including exposed timber beams and OSB sheathing boards, has been left visible to celebrate the materiality and structure of the building.