Summer 2026: Studio Update

An update from the studio this summer. Two London planning approvals secured, a villa in Indonesia moving from concept into detail design, a project on site in north London, and another in early concept.

A villa in Indonesia

The site fronts the sea, and the design begins from there. Our work is shaped by stewardship of the land and the demands of its setting, salt, sun, wind and rain. The intention is to build with restraint and with care for ecology, to create a place of quality that sits lightly and responds to its context.

With that in mind, we are proposing a building of restrained means and lasting character. Materials are drawn from the locality and worked by local craftspeople. We are testing a limited palette of lime renders, pale Indonesian limestones and earth-based blocks, chosen for their endurance and for the way they belong to the landscape. Simple, elegant building is the principle.

The architecture itself is straightforward. Solid walls carry a lightweight roof. Passive cooling does the work of comfort, with air conditioning held back to the bedrooms. A body of water sits between the pavilions, both a cooling device and the quiet centre of the plan.

The passive design strategy is being tested through sun studies. These model direct sunlight reaching the floor plate and individual spaces across the day, distinguishing between lower-intensity morning sun and the more critical mid-morning and midday sun, when solar gain has the greatest impact on comfort. The studies inform how the roof and its overhangs perform not only as weather protection but as an effective solar screen, shading the main living spaces while still admitting good natural light. The aim: generous natural ventilation, shaded interiors, and a calm internal environment.

Mock-ups are being prepared on site. Once they are complete, we will travel out to review the work and sign off the materials in person.

Arvon Road

A new project near Highbury Fields, North London. The site sits on the edge of a conservation area, on a street with a difficult planning history. Nearby applications have been refused over concerns about the symmetry and rhythm of the existing terrace.

Our move was to push the massing toward the rear of the awkward plot, away from the sensitive street elevation and into the depth of the site. This creates the most valuable room in the house, a large lounge that the existing layout lacks, and resolves the plan into three properly designated rooms.

Planning was granted at the end of May. The images here show the options we tested at Stage 2, before arriving at the final scheme that gained consent. More to come.

Hatley Road

At Hatley Road, planning has been granted. The site faces west, capturing strong afternoon sun, and the scheme opens the existing house to that light without enlarging the footprint. A north-facing roof terrace is removed to make way for a larger glazed rooflight, drawing daylight down through the plan, with new apertures introduced through the roof, the ground floor and the bathroom. A loft extension adds space above, with a Juliet balcony to the rear. Internally, the palette is calm: wood and tones of concrete.

The consent was secured by challenging the council's initial feedback, in a working relationship with the planning team that remained constructive throughout. The scheme came through in full.

De Beauvoir townhouse

A new commission, in its early stages. A major retrofit and extension to a De Beauvoir townhouse. The brief asks for a quieter, more generous house, with substantially more daylight reaching the sunken lower ground floor.

The plan is narrow and deep. The site faces south, so a conventional rooflight strategy is not the answer. The work is instead testing composition: a set of arched forms that bring light in at high level and carry it down through the building toward the back of the plan, with a light-touch extension sitting delicately against the existing building at lower ground.

Early studies are exploring how these arches sit together, in massing, scale and rhythm, and how they shape the front elevation. The drawings here are part of that process, a record of the design as it develops rather than a resolved scheme. More to come.

Hungerford Road

On site, and moving fast. Hungerford Road has been in construction for two months. Setting out is complete and substructure works are underway, with foundations progressing at pace.

For ongoing site updates, follow @jha.studio on Instagram.