Breathable House | Mike Tuck Studio

Breathable Cork House grew from close collaboration with our client who wanted to transform their Victorian terraced house into a light-filled, breathable home, shaped by natural materials. The house was a pebble dashed and rather damp house which needed renovation and thermal upgrade. The ground-floor extension is faced with solid blocks of external cork insulation, as well as a thinner external layer, which then sit on a terrazzo plinth. The natural materials allow the previously damp house breath through the cork construction. Inside and out are also permeable through an oversized timber door, connecting the kitchen to the garden. A large rear window is divided by vertical timber fins to break up the proportions of the elevation, improve privacy, and form a window seat inside.

The biggest problem with the house for the clients was the humidity and poor air quality.

The house was dangerously damp – to the health of the structure and the clients. Instead of the need for mechanical ventilation and air purifying, we decided to look at this problem from first principles and tackle the fabric of the house. By using natural materials such as cork and timber, the house breathes in and out by itself and the damp and high humidity levels have disappeared. As a passive technique, this improves the operational energy costs of the building.

The cork insulation and cladding works incredibly hard in this project, as not only is it essential to the operation of the building and the creation of healthy living spaces, it is also a beautiful material, which holds character and intrigue in its organic texture that gives it its transformational potential. As this is a natural material, it felt right to pair it with Douglas Fir windows to enhance the warmth of the façade. A terrazzo plinth at the base complements the intricacy of the cork and ties the work together. We also used Breathaplasta wall coatings alongside the use of natural slate and timber windows. The planning requirements in Waltham Forest meant that we had to use glass on the side-return extension to reduce amenity impact on the neighbours. To stop this space overheating in the summer, we used solar-control layers. The house is now truly liveable, which is helped by the consolidation of kitchen and living spaces, which now spill out into the garden, adapting the house to modern standards of living for a young family.

Photography: Luca Piffaretti

Website: https://www.lucapiffaretti.com/