A blocky form animated by hit-and-miss brickwork defines Peckham House, a self-build project by architecture studio Surman Weston that draws on its surroundings in southeast London.
Peckham House was designed for and built by the directors of Surman Weston, Tom Surman and Percy Weston. It is currently occupied by Weston and his family.
Surman Weston has self-built a "characterful family home" in London
The nature of the self-build project meant the duo was not guided by a client brief and instead largely free of parameters, requiring them to set their own.
Surman Weston said designing in this way was freeing but challenging ? leaving the duo with "a pressure to do something special".
It is animated by hit-and-miss brickwork "There were a few key parameters that steered us, we wanted to get the most out of the small site without being greedy, and we wanted to make the most of the opportunity to experiment and take risks that may not have been possible with a typical client and builder arrangement," Surman told Dezeen.
"We also wanted the house to be a reflection of our interests and personalities and feel like a characterful family home ? full of life and not thematic or stylised."
There is a greenhouse on the roof
It was also critical that Peckham House felt "rooted in its context", Surman said.
"We enjoy referencing the surrounding architectural styles, often subverting them or playfully interpreting them in our buildi...