Laser-Cut Butterfly Door Allows Natural Light into London’s Hidden House

Posted By Tafline Laylin On August 10, 2012 @ 6:44 am In Architecture,carousel showcase,Daylighting,gallery | No Comments

• Tweet ^[1]
• Share on Tumblr ^[2]
• Email ^[3]

 

^{[4]  [5]}

When both money and space come at a premium, designers like Teatum+Teatum ^[6] have the opportunity to pull out their coolest design tricks. For one of their most recent projects in London called Hidden House, which is sandwiched between two existing buildings ^[7], the team devised special lighting solutions to illuminate what would otherwise have been a very dark interior - like this beautiful laser-cut butterfly door that allows daylight to filter in.

  ^[5]

The Hidden House is wrapped in a shiny black exterior that seals it off from the rest of the world. This is great in terms of creating an interior intimacy, but not so great for natural light ^[8]. Which is why Teatum+Teatum introduced a giant central light well – seven meters tall – around which the interior home is organized, along with skylights and of course the butterfly door.

The striking metal door is laser-cut to resemble rain pouring down a glass window in winter – creating some kind of material connection with the exterior world and allowing diffused daylighting to seep through to the ground floor of the double-story home. Living and sleeping areas overlap, further reinforcing a sense of community and intimacy inside, and the bright, minimalist furnishings ^[9] make the space especially cozy.

+ Teatum+Teatum ^[6]

Via MocoLoco ^[10]

images via Lyndon Douglas

Article printed from Inhabitat – Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building: http://inhabitat.com

URL to article: http://inhabitat.com/laser-cut-butterfly-door-allows-natural-light-into-londons-hidden-house/

URLs in this post:

[1] Tweet: http://twitter.com/share

[2] Share on Tumblr: http://www.tumblr.com/share

[3] Email: mailto:?subject=http://inhabitat.com/laser-cut-butterfly-door-allows-natural-light-into-londons-hidden-house/

[4]

[5]  : http://inhabitat.com/laser-cut-butterfly-door-allows-natural-light-into-londons-hidden-house/hidden-house-teatumteatum-1/?extend=1

[6] Teatum+Teatum: http://www.teatumandteatum.com

[7] existing buildings: http://inhabitat.com/new-report-details-why-existing-buildings-are-greener-than-new-ones/

[8] natural light: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daylighting

[9] and the bright, minimalist furnishings: http://inhabitat.com/minimalist-shipping-container-house-is-an-artists-dream/

[10] MocoLoco: http://mocoloco.com/fresh2/2012/08/09/hidden-house-by-teatum-teatum.php

Click here to print.