Sugden House
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South east elevation
Toomey, Arphot Download Original
Atypical brick and tile house, which experiments with form, planning and the use of standard components
The house sits on the northern edge of a residential estate in Watford. As such, its design was regulated by a series of restrictions governing materials and form. These restrictions included the obligatory use of second-hand London stock bricks, dark red tiles, and standard metal windows.
Conceived as a single block of material, the brick walls merge with the tiled roof, which sweeps down over an attached garage and covered yard. Windows pierce this mass in locations dictated by the function of interior spaces, rather than by any aesthetic desire for symmetry in elevation.
Internally, the living, dining and kitchen spaces flow into one another either side of an asymmetrically placed fireplace.
The architects developed standard components, repeated or grouped together with concern for the straightforward and economical use of materials.
Data
- Begun: 1955
- Completed: 1956
- Sector: House
- Total cost: £25,000
- Tender date: 1955
- Address: 2 Farm Field, Watford, Hertfordshire, WD17 3DF, United Kingdom
Materials 
Brick, Lime plaster, London Stock bricks, Metal windows, Recycled materials, Tiles
Professional Team
- Architect: Alison and Peter Smithson
- Client: Derek Sugden
- Main contractor: Dickinson-Jones Ltd
Suppliers
- Heating: Benham & Sons
- Roof: Marley Tile Co
- Electrical: F. J. Weight
