2021 New Zealand Architecture Awards Winner
Costa Street
On the former site of ‘Britain’s most expensive shack’, in the heart of the South London suburb of Peckham, stands this build-to-rent block of houses by a Māori architect, who also filled the roles of developer and contractor. The leaning mansard, a play on the predominant neighbourhood roof type, presents a dramatic profile that also interacts with the protected mature trees and greenery behind. Four unique rental houses are tightly interwoven within the building’s five levels, and each has its own independent street access, outdoor space, and varied aspect via punched openings. A manifestation of the architect’s practice-based research, this project, structured with digitally cut cross-laminated timber, challenges planning, material, development, and construction norms to provide high-quality, affordable, sustainable rental housing. This provocative urban corner provides the blueprint for a highly relevant housing typology that could inform our architectural thinking here in Aotearoa.
- Practice
- Ngārchitecture
- Category
- International Architecture
- Location
- International