Discover this architect’s creative brick extension in north London
Architect James Beazer tells us all about his home's distinctive, award brick extension
Architect James Beazer tells how he created the distinctive brickwork of Twist House – his home’s eccentric extension.
Image: Juliet Murphy
James Beazer had a grand idea to build an extension with a difference. This extension to his north London home is used as a garden room and references brick expressionism of the 1920s and 1930s. It has four twisting self-supporting columns, which give the exterior the feeling of movement.
Grand Design magazine’s Lee Gale spoke to him about how his creative concept became a reality.
Your extension looks like the punk offspring of the main Georgian building, was this the intention?
It’s a mix of things. The aim was trying to get the brickwork to do more. I wanted to design something sculptural.
Are architects not being creative enough with bricks?
There’s a resurgence of techniques but at the more sculptural end, there’s less of it. In previous eras, London was full of buildings with incredible brickwork.
The Fitzrovia area is a good place for this. You walk down streets and look up at buildings and it’s all around. The joy of more decorative buildings has been lost in recent times.