The wonders of wood at a contemporary apartment in Stoke Newington, north London
To live in this extraordinary apartment in Stoke Newington, north London, would feel something like living in a treehouse. While the slender façade of its building towers tall like a great beech – also note the jutting, nest-like wicker balconies, which create graphic shadows on a sunny day – our comparison comes alive once inside. Its walls, floors and ceilings are constructed entirely from cross-laminated timber (CLT), resulting in a textural and warm wooden interior that’s quite unlike traditional Hackney homes.
The project is the brainchild of Amin Taha, the Berlin-born, London-based architect and founder of Groupwork. He’s been described by the Financial Times as “London’s most controversial architect”, namely for his RIBA-award winning, quarried-limestone apartments in Clerkenwell, which were saved from demolition in 2019.
He completed this particular set of apartments, however, in 2016. Amin employed a palette of CLT for the structure and internal finish as a sustainable alternative to more commonplace materials, such as steel and concrete. There’s no need for additional elements – think plasterboard, cornicing and skirting – which minimises the embodied carbon of the building. It’s no surprise, then, that the building won the hearts of critics, notably those judging the 2016 Hackney Design Awards. It was also shortlisted for the 2017 RIBA Stirling Prize.
The wooden interior is good for the environment and good for residents too. There are plenty of reasons to surround oneself with the natural material at home. One of the most persuasive arguments for it is that research has proven that wood can help reduce stress and anxiety. The light tones of the CLT in this apartment only contribute to the sense of calm throughout. But dull it is not: the characterful details of the grains and knot are pleasing to pore over – no two pieces of CLT are the same. So, although this apartment is one of a magnificent six, it’s actually, in fact, one-of-a-kind.
RELATED ON THE MODERN HOUSE
Listing of the Week: a Norfolk beauty that ushers the natural world in
A family home in Hackney, lovingly tended inside and out
Zen and the art of mindset maintenance in a former warehouse in east London
A duo’s dramatic warehouse conversion hidden in west London
Inside two carbon-negative zero-waste homes in Walthamstow
Skye’s the limit at this home in a serene settlement in the Scottish Highlands
An apartment with star quality in a converted recording studio in west London
A mid-century marvel in Stafford that stands the test of time
A hotel with staying power overlooking the Atlantic in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland
A mid-century gem among the treetops on the Dulwich Estate in Crystal Palace