cladding

On the second floor, the sliding door to one of the kids’ bedrooms lies flush with a cork-wrapped wall. In the bedroom, a colorful custom Maharam window shade rests above a window seat with a Kvadrat cushion.

A corrugated metal roof and cork-panel siding were durable, cost-effective material choices, but their textures also recall those of the area’s historic homes and agricultural buildings.

This backyard home office for a couple in London is constructed with all-timber structural framing and is clad in cork and topped with a vegetated roof. These eco-friendly materials make for a delightfully sensory space with lots of lighting provided by the skylight and glass and oak door.

Tapias covered the addition’s shady east facade with two layers of cork, which he also placed on the roof of the three bedrooms. “Cork is a natural insulation that can be used without any cladding,” he explains. “It lets the wood breathe, and it’s waterproof.”