Mayfair House is a custom designed home by Squire and Partners in Mayfair, London, featuring a striking bespoke leaf facade which mirrors an established Virginia Creeper on a facing building on Curzon Street. The contemporary interpretation of leaves are crafted as a metallic shingle, which cover a three-storey elevation and rooftop pavilion. The PPC coated folded aluminium leaves – 4,080 in total – subtly vary in tones of bronze to mimic organic growth patterns. The concept was designed over a three year period of research and development working closely with Swiss manufacturer Tuchschmid. Westminster planning committee described the proposal as ‘striking’ and ‘raising the bar for design within the borough’.

The project involved the retention of
 an existing 18th century facade facing Waverton Street, and the design of a
 new building comprising three linked volumes to create a unique home in central Mayfair. The accommodation provides five bedrooms, a swimming pool, gymnasium, cinema, rooftop pavilion and two separate roof terraces. The interior design was carried out by Bill Bennette Design, creating luxury and timeless interiors.

The east and west portions of the building are finished with a stucco render to
 match the existing retained Waverton Street facade, with full height bronze framed windows of traditional Georgian proportions. A discreet Cotswold Buff brick facade with oak framed windows faces the more utilitarian Red Lion Yard.

The middle part of the building is set
back from the restored listed wall on Chesterfield Gardens to create a lightwell drawing daylight into the central spaces, and features a playful bespoke leaf facade. The facade of this element takes inspiration from a facing building on Curzon Street, mirroring an established Virginia Creeper with a contemporary interpretation of leaves expressed as a metallic shingle.

Construction involved sandwiching the retained facade between two steel frames which was then suspended while piling and construction of the lower ground floor took place. This floor then became a platform from which excavation of the two basement floors and construction of the concrete frame above could happen simultaneously, speeding up the weather tightness of the site and fast-tracking the program.

At the center of the c-shaped building internally, a grand double height space gives views into the lightwell which features a living wall planted with a variety of native plants. Social spaces are located off the main double height volume, with the gymnasium, cinema and swimming pool situated in the two basement floors. Bedrooms are organized on the upper two levels, above which sits the stunning leaf- clad rooftop pavilion.

Photos: Gareth Gardner