The Walled Courtyard house was designed by London-based architecture studio Inglis Badrashi Loddo (IBLA) as a compact two-bedroom residence hidden behind the historic garden walls of Cleaver Square in Kennington. Occupying a former car park that once formed part of a Georgian townhouse's walled garden, the 63-square-metre home is the first new house constructed on the square in more than 175 years. Rebuilt boundary walls of salvaged and new London stock brick preserve the appearance of the original enclosure while concealing the residence from the street.
The single-storey layout is organized around a central courtyard that brings daylight into every principal room through full-height sliding glass doors. Custom plywood cabinetry, exposed timber roof joists, skylights and a restrained material palette reinforce the home's minimalist interior. Sustainability features include an air-source heat pump, underfloor heating, high-performance insulation and a sedum roof.
Courtyard Garden Houses
The Walled Courtyard House is a Concealed Home in a Former Garden Site
Trend Themes
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Hidden Urban Homes — Concealed residences on overlooked infill sites present new models for adding density without disrupting historic streetscapes.
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Courtyard-centered Living — Compact layouts organized around private courtyards create opportunities for daylight-rich homes in constrained urban plots.
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Low-impact Heritage Design — Blending salvaged materials, efficient systems and sensitive exterior preservation points to premium housing formats rooted in sustainability and local character.
Industry Implications
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Residential Architecture — Architectural firms can differentiate through discreet small-footprint housing concepts that reconcile modern living with conservation-area constraints.
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Urban Real Estate — Former car parks, garden plots and residual land parcels represent underused assets for boutique housing development in high-demand neighborhoods.
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Sustainable Building Materials — Reclaimed brick, high-performance insulation and green roof systems support a growing market for low-carbon construction suited to heritage-sensitive projects.