Spruce House And Studio / Ao-ft

Architects: ao-ft
Area: 132 m²
Year: 2021
Photography: Rory Gardiner
Structural Engineer: Entuitive
Solar Consultant: MES Building Solutions
Landscape Architects: Meeuwsen Muldoon
Main Construction: PSS London
CLT Contractor: ConstruktCLT
Groundworks Construction: Axel Keating
Staircase: Industrial Project / James Green
Fire Consultants: IFC Group
Building Inspector: London Building Control
City: London
Country: United Kingdom

Spruce House and Studio, a residential project designed by ao-ft in East London, is a sustainable home and studio built with cross-laminated timber (CLT). The project emphasizes natural materials and a connection to the garden. Completed in 2021, the design incorporates modern elements while respecting the historic context of its conservation area location.

London-based architecture practice ao-ft has completed Spruce House and Studio, their first project. This new-build home and self-contained design studio, made from cross-laminated timber (CLT), is situated on an infill site in Walthamstow, East London.

The project reflects ao-ft’s focus on sustainable construction, using natural materials to promote well-being and maintaining a close relationship with its leafy rear garden.

Located in a conservation area on what was once the village high street, Spruce House sits on a wide plot among various housing types that have evolved from retail spaces into homes over the past century. ao-ft reimagined Spruce House as a modern shopfront with extensive ground floor glazing, broken by vertical timber battens and mullions, creating a contrasting facade pattern. Custom timber-batten privacy screens on the ground floor offer partial views through the house to the garden.

Spruce House replaced a deteriorating 1960s infill. Without salvageable elements, ao-ft aimed to minimize the carbon footprint by constructing the main structure in CLT. The prefabricated panels, assembled on site in five days, store 37 tonnes of carbon dioxide. Exposed panels inside reduce the need for additional material, ensuring minimal plastic use.

To connect interior and exterior spaces, ao-ft designed the ground floor to integrate with the garden, mirroring a traditional Victorian terrace house layout. Visitors step down half a meter from street level into an open-plan living space with concrete window seats and floor-to-ceiling glazing. Lowering the foundation by 50cm creates a spacious feel and aligns the ground floor with the garden beds. Built-in joinery conceals a media unit and under-stair WC, linking to a stainless-steel kitchen and sunken dining area.

The interior features light, verticality, and layering with materials like timber, stainless steel, polished concrete, and perforated steel, creating dynamic textures and patterns.

The staircase, designed from interlocking steel treads, allows light and air from a large skylight to pass through. The treads were precision-cut, folded, and powder-coated off-site before installation.

The first floor houses two bedrooms and family bathroom, while the second story includes the main bedroom and ensuite bathroom. Openable solid spruce panels transform interiors with natural light and provide playful exterior configurations.

ao-ft’s commitment to design is evident throughout Spruce House. Full-height CLT doors with inlaid handles and spring-loaded catches lie flush when open, showcasing a complex yet satisfying detail. This design emphasizes continuous sightlines and space within the house.

Spruce House includes a standalone design studio at the rear of the 12-meter-deep garden. Constructed with traditional timber framing, it features larch glulam beams on the exterior and spruce on the interior. The studio has clerestory windows and exposed overhead rafters and opens onto a smaller rear garden, promoting natural cross ventilation. The garden linking the house and studio is designed to reintroduce pollinating plants and boost biodiversity.

Spruce House and Studio represent ao-ft’s first completed project, showcasing their technical skills, research and passion for functional, detailed design. The project sets a precedent for infill sites in the UK, highlighting the benefits of sustainable, flexible construction for creating comfortable, enduring spaces.