DHaus blends english mews + japanese courtyard typologies for 'woodsome road' in london

experimental architecture and design practice DHaus has developed two new duplex homes on land that formerly belonged to the historic bull & last pub in london. ‘woodsome road’ draws from a mix of english mews/coach houses commonly found in hampstead and highgate, north london, and the celebrated japanese courtyard houses found in tokyo. to gain approval for the scheme, the team at DHaus worked closely with camden’s chief conservation design officer to develop a black clad street façade — taking cues from the existing pub architecture while feeling like its contemporary younger sibling. meanwhile, to keep the front of the house private, a delicate privacy screen allows indirect views out, but blocks direct views in, mimicking the movement of passers-by on the street

view of the front façade
all images by richard chivers

to the rear, DHaus introduced white clad privacy screens, more regular in form, within a grid-like façade. this privacy screening was developed to prevent overlooking from nearby neighboring windows and the pub itself. other characteristic features from the historic pub that have been incorporated into the property’s design include the stepped concrete cornicing that marks the bookend of the building and sets it apart from its more traditional neighbors along the street. the entrance to both flats is positioned to the side of the building through an oversized external gate, which leads into an open-air courtyard.