Architect Giles Bruce’s south London house, built in 2019, sits at the end of a Victorian terrace that was partially destroyed during World War II. A pocket park now occupies the spot where the bombs fell, with Giles’s home filling the gap between the last house standing and the urban greenery.

Named for the jagged pattern of bricks that covers most of its park-facing side, Dogtooth House, which Giles shares with his wife, Ingrid Hu, and their three-year-old son, has a single main room on each of its four stories. This makes the 13-foot-wide house feel more spacious than it appears from the outside, but the plan does have its drawbacks.

“Living in a tall house with one room per floor means that you need a very good memory,” says Giles. “You don’t want to leave something on one floor and have to run and get it at two in the morning.”

Despite its urban setting, the house feels connected to nature, thanks to its park-side location. “The trees surrounding the site have a dramatic bearing on the experience of being inside—the shadows they cast, the noise of the birds, the rustling of leaves,” says Giles.

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A clever park-facing light scoop acts like a low-level periscope that helps to illuminate the basement while maintaining privacy. At the rear of the basement, which extends nine feet beyond the rest of the house, a hidden skylight offers yet more daylight and lofty views.

“It’s really an eccentric house in some ways,” says Giles. “I play piano, and having the piano just under the skylight and being able to look up to the universe is fantastic.”

Visitors to the park now benefit from an inspiring view, too, says Giles. He muses that counting the brick teeth from the top of the slide may even be educational.

Project Credits:

Architect of Record: A-Zero Architects

Construction: March Construction

Engineering: Fluid Engineers

Photography: Adam Scott (exterior images) / John McClain (interior images)

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Dogtooth Brickwork Makes a Narrow London Terrace House Stand Out While Blending In