Cool Tetris-style apartment complex pops up in London

A giant mixed-used building, which often feels like the de-facto solution to rapid urban growth, commonly manifests in boxy apartments stacked atop a glassy ground floor that plays home to a coworking space or store.

This modern building in the London Borough of Southwark, though, is a refreshing take on the mixed-use development. Designed by British firm Allford Hall Monaghan Morris, the eight-unit pale brick apartment complex seamlessly incorporates office space on the ground floor while retaining a sense of separateness thanks to its unusual layout.

Rory Gardiner via Dezeen

Rory Gardiner via Dezeen

The architects designed the building as a series of irregularly shaped, multi-story units that interlock around two stairs. The design allows for blocks of the building to join together, creating a Tetris-style brick facade. “Each apartment is a ‘house’ differentiated by its place within the spatial puzzle and the city,” the architects write.

Rory Gardiner via Dezeen

Inside, the same rules apply. The architects designed the apartments as a series of rooms that are built to flow into one another. Stairs—not doors—separate the kitchen, living, and dining rooms.

Rory Gardiner via Dezeen

Rory Gardiner via Dezeen

Via: Dezeen