As one of four shortlisted practices in The Sunday Times British Homes Awards challenged with designing a new prototype for the terraced house in the UK, to assist the national housing crisis, our response was “PICK & MIX”.

Our philosophy that “Everyone is different, so why should our homes be the same?” saw the development of a grid-like unit with a central staircase and a glazed roof above, from which light could penetrate an efficient deep, yet narrow frontage plan. Using this as a constant fix, everything is flexible and can change around it.

A young family might “PICK” a four storey option with a granny flat, while retirees could “MIX” and choose two storeys with a large roof garden, while an entrepreneur could “MIX” again and use the ground floor as a workspace.

The whole development sees private outdoor space on the roof instead of a rear garden to enable all of the external space at ground level to be shared communal space which can host a range of diverse community needs.