Cutting House | E2 Architecture +Interiors

Cutting House is a one bedroom courtyard house in the Greenwich conservation area, centred around a fully glazed courtyard. The site is adjacent to an old filled in railway cutting and utilises the space left between a dilapidated brick cobbler’s workshop and an access way to new houses built on the cutting.

The project consisted of the demolition of the existing brick shed and construction of a new L shaped single storey with the living kitchen in a replica of the old shed volume and the bedroom in the other wing. All rooms open onto the courtyard and are flood with natural light. Windows onto the street are at high level to give views into the tree tops whilst preserving privacy. Roof lights and sun-pipes bring additional natural light into the home.

The house fills the small plot so prefabricated timber frame was used to structure the building for ease of construction. Internal finishes are simple timber cladding and tile floors with bespoke joinery to make best use of space.
The timber frame is insulated with natural wood fibre. The bricks are handmade and laid with lime mortar. This combination gives a breathable construction. The courtyard doors were selected for their slim profile and track system, which allows floor to ceiling glazing. When fully opened the living, hallway, bedroom and courtyard become one interconnected space. The windows are triple glazed and roof lights and sunlight pipes electronically opened.
The house is Level 3 on the Code for Sustainable homes and would have been higher were it not for the form of the site and building. Apart from the timber frame and natural insulations there is a bio-diverse green roof, two photovoltaic solar panels, low flush WC and state of the art LED downlights. The building has also been designed to be fully accessible with only an alteration required to the shower screen.