Vine-covered homes are charming, but the fast-growing plants can get unruly if left untended for evn a short time. When London-based architecture firm Squire and Partners set out to convert an 18th-century public house into an incredible five-story private residence, they developed a unique facade of folded aluminium leaves to take the place of the au natural variety.
The autumn-hued shingles were created with the help of Swiss steel and metal manufacturer Tuchschmid over the course of two years; each is individually screwed onto the exterior wall to create a repetitive geometric effect. A PPC Coating was applied to each leaf to protect against the elements, but it’s a shame these don’t have a purpose outside of looking lovely. Seriously, how awesome would it be if they could also harvest solar energy?
The rest of the place is as lush as you’d expect a five-story private residence in London to be, complete with four bedrooms, gym, cinema, rooftop pavilion and two al fresco terraces — plus a g-d indoor swimming pool — all of which puts the probable price tag on the whole project at some kind of astronomical high. Sigh. Swoon. [Design Milk; Squire and Partners]
