Nina's House
Nina+Co with ROAR
Haringey, 2025
Shortlisted
The site in South Tottenham, originally built as a clergy house for the church next door, is in the 95th percentile for air pollution nationally. The ground floor was remodeled to an open-plan layout, bringing the small garage and porch into the thermal envelope. A decision was taken early not to extend the property, but to make good use of what was already there, spending budget predominantly on infrastructure and technical performance; removal of gas supply, installation of an air-source heat pump, underfloor heating, new doors and windows, cork cladding, extensive insulative work, and a huge endeavor to improve air-tightness.
“We love cork. Cork trees regrow their bark after harvesting, sequestering more CO2 each time. Cork forests are often biodiverse regions and are a wonderful example of regenerative agriculture worth supporting. Dark expanded cork, as used in insulation, doesn’t have any synthetic binders added — the steaming process activates the natural binders within the cork, so it’s a truly natural product with incredibly useful properties. It felt wholly appropriate to use cork extensively in this build as the home has held a strong Portugal connection with previous owners being a Portuguese family living here for 40 years.”
