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Late British architect Will Alsop’s only residential project hits the market

Spoiler alert: barrel vaulted ceilings

Brick clad home with mint door. Courtesy The Modern House

Throughout his career, late British architect and Stirling Prize winner Will Alsop didn’t shy away from playfulness. Known for his bold, unusual buildings like London’s Peckham Library and Wales’s Cardiff Bay Visitor Centre, Alsop brought an irreverent eye to public architecture.

Lesser known is his residential work—likely because there’s only one project to speak of. That project, a 1960s single-story house with an Alsop-designed addition, is now on the market for £475,000 (around $611,000) in Ardingly, England.

Open plan living room and kitchen with arched ceilings. Courtesy The Modern House

The house looks typical enough from the front with a brick-clad facade and an oversized front door painted a pale blue-green. Deeper in though, Alsop’s penchant for architectural cheekiness becomes apparent.

The entryway leads to a vaulted aluminum extension that arches into a barrel shape. Bent wood trusses span the ceiling and clerestory porthole windows bring in lots of sunshine.

The house has three cozy bedrooms, which Alsop kept at the front of the house to ensure the main living space could open directly out onto the backyard garden. You can see more photos at The Modern House.

Living room with doors that open to backyard. Courtesy The Modern House
Living room interior with vaulted ceilings with exposed wooden beams. Sofas are surrounded by white walls. Courtesy The Modern House
Exterior of house with aluminum roof and glass doors. Courtesy The Modern House