MATA Architects has added a timber-clad extension to a house in north London, with windows concealed behind large shutters that can be opened using mechanical winches.
The London architecture studio extended the ground floor of the mid-terrace Victorian property in Islington, replacing a first-floor conservatory with a home office that doubles as a guest bedroom.

MATA Architects' design is a response to the conditions of the dense urban site, which is surrounded and overlooked by neighbours on multiple sides.
The solution to this typical London extension condundrom was to incorporate movable sections into the facades that perform several functions. Shutters provide privacy, security and shade while retaining opportunities for views and natural daylight.
"This is a small and seemingly simple first-floor extension conceived as a 'reconfigurable box' ? both internally and externally," explained MATA Architects director, Dan Marks.
"The triumph, for us, is that this simplicity succeeds in concealing so much precision engineering that is packed into the box."

The architects oversaw a planning application for the entire project that reflects the house's setting within a conservation area.
Stained Siberian larch contrasts with the yellow London stock brick. The surfaces wrapped in vertical timber batons incorporate two bespoke counterbalanced shutters that are manually operated using marine-grade brake winches on either side of the windows.

A self-locking ...