The architect William Russell studied at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne and the Royal College of Art, working for the commercial practice RMJM in Hong Kong between degrees. He set up in practice with David Adjaye immediately after leaving the RCA. Now a partner at Pentagram, the multi-disciplinary design practice, he has designed high-profile fashion stores for Alexander McQueen and Margaret Howell.

Russell built the house on Bacon Street on a tight site in 2002. It has featured in a number of architecture books. In Concrete Architecture, Catherine Croft writes:

“Russell says that one of his self-imposed restrictions for the project was to use a minimum number of materials. It became apparent that he would need to sink concrete pile foundations 10 metres (33 feet) deep, so concrete seemed the clear choice for the superstructure, too – but very little concrete is visible from the outside. Long fascinated by Le Corbusier’s prototype Domino House project, Russell wanted the structure of his house to be understood both externally and internally. During the day, it is not obvious that this is a concrete-framed house, but at dusk, when the building is internally lit, the shadows of the concrete structure are revealed.

“Inside the house, the concrete is obvious. Walls, floors and ceilings are all made of concrete cast in situ, as are the built-in work surfaces…

“Externally, it is the cladding that dominates. The steel panels are a version of a standard product called Cryoform – previously used for fireproof sheds and industrial buildings, rather than for houses. Made of a layer of insulation, sandwiched between two layers of galvanized sheet steel, this wraps the upper part of the ground floor, the whole of the first floor and up to dado level on the second floor…”