Around Town

There will be hundreds of places to choose from over the weekend, with access to the vast majority of buildings on a turn-up-on-the day basis. However, due to limited capacity or the nature of the site, certain buildings require pre-booking. To book, visit www.openhouse.org.uk/london. Free copies of the programme will be available from libraries in participating London boroughs.

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: Jodrell Laboratory
Sat Sept 19, Meet at Main Gate, Kew Green, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew TW9 3AB
Designed by Wilkinson Eyre Architects, 2006
Housing reference collections, office and laboratories, the Laboratory is designed to blend into its surroundings: horizontal cedarboard cladding will mellow to a colour similar to that of the trunks of the eucalyptus trees outside. Louvred exterior and computer-controlled windows regulate heating and cooling. Visitors will be able to view all the laboratories on ground floor and the basement of Wolfson Wing.
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Centre Point
Sat Sept 19, 103 New Oxford Street WC1A 1DU
Designed by Richard Seifert, 1967
It’s claimed that the 34-storey, 121m Grade II-listed central London landmark was the first building in London to be erected without the use of scaffolding (the prefabricated precast-concrete H-shaped units were lifted into place by crane). Visitors will be able to see the reception area, CBI podium level, and the eighteenth, thirty-first, thirty-second and thirty-third floors.
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Ed's Shed/Sunken House © Ed Reeve

Ed’s Shed/Sunken House
Sept 19 & 20, 75A De Beauvoir Road N1 4EL
Designed by Adjaye Associates, 2007
The entire site was excavated to basement level in order to create the sunken foundation on which the Hackney building sits and a single slot window at the front is all that indicates this cube clad in a cedar rain screen, stained dark brown is, in fact, a house. Hemp insulation improves the thermal performance of the structure while the solid timber frame provides a significantly reduced carbon footprint.
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Maggie’s Centre
Sun Sept 20, Maggie's Centre, Charing Cross Hospital, Fulham Palace Road, W6 8RF
Designed by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners
The idea behind Maggie’s is that cancer patients need help with the psychological impact of their diagnosis as well as medical treatment for the physical side. It’s a flexible space designed to be welcoming, uplifting and thought-provoking. The raised roof allows natural light to enter the whole of the building, while partitions divide up the open structure, placing the kitchen at the heart of the building. There are also gardens designed by Dan Pearson.
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Olympic Park © ODA

London 2012 Olympic Park
Sept 19 & 20, Meet: The Score Complex, Oliver Road, Leyton E10 5JY
One of the largest construction and engineering projects in Europe, the Olympic Park that is currently being created on a 2.5km sq site in the Lower Lee Valley will be at the heart of the 2012 Games. Afterwards the site is set to become one of the largest new urban parks in Europe for 150 years. Construction work is well underway on the ‘big five’ venues: the Olympic Stadium, the Velodrome, the Olympic Village and the International Broadcast Centre/Main Press Centre.
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Trellick Tower
Sun Sept 20, 5 Golborne Road W10 5UT
Designed by Erno Goldfinger, 1972
Goldfinger’s 31-storey ‘Unité d’Habitation’ in W10 was originally built as social housing but it’s now one of London’s more desirable addresses. Monumental in style, with its free-standing service tower and surreal boiler house, the Trellick Tower retains beautiful detailing and a rich use of materials. The lobby and two or three flats will be available to view.
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The Glasshouse

The Glasshouse
Sat Sept 19, River Lane, Petersham TW10 7AG
Designed by Terry Farrell & Partners, 2004
This contemporary courtyard-style house in Richmond with a low profile of just seven metres consists of a linear arrangement of rooms accessed from the 40m long double-height gallery. The building is surrounded by established trees and shrubs which create a boundary wall enclosing the garden. On the Saturday of Open House weekend the ground floor and part of the first floor will be available to view.
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Shoreditch Prototype House
Sun Sept 20, 4 Crooked Billet Yard (off Kingsland Road, opp Cottons Gardens) E2 8AF
Designed by Cox Bulleid Architects
It’s not the grandest building on the Open House list – in fact it has a slightly shabby air, but that’s mainly down to its innovative planted façade, which uses evergreen plants as part of its built-in ‘solar control’. Underneath the plants, this is a state-of-the-art green-living machine, developed as a prototype for eco-friendly urban terraced housing of the future. Other sustainable features include a lightweight steel and timber frame with a highly insulated ‘thin wall’ skin.
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Tower 42

Tower 42
Sat Sept 19 (tours), 25 Old Broad Street EC2N 1HQ
Designed by Richard Seifert & Partners/GMW Partnership/Fletcher Priest 1981/1995
At 601 feet, the City of London’s tallest building, consisting of three hexagonal chevrons,was the first to break previous restrictions on tall buildings in London. During a comprehensive refurbishment in 1995, a new glass-and-steel entrance hall was built on Old Broad Street and the external steel cladding was replaced. On Open House weekend visitors will be able to view the foyer and levels 24 and 42.
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Highpoint
Sat Sept 19 (tours), Highpoint, North Hill N6 4BA
Designed by Tecton & Lubetkin
This 1933 Grade I-listed block of flats is a seminal piece of modernist architecture designed by Berthold Lubetkin and inspired by Le Corbusier’s ideas. Intended as a new answer to the problems of high-density urban living – which had previously been solved by building out into the suburbs – it was intended as working-class housing but, being in Highgate, quickly became a very desirable middle-class address. The Open House guided tour takes in the common parts, including recently restored foyers and the interiors of two flats which retain many original features such as cork floors, concertina windows and metal doors. Entry is by accompanied tour only and covers common parts, including recently restored foyers and the interiors of a flat.
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Open House London (3006 7008/www.londonopenhouse.org) takes place Sept 19-20. Some events require pre-booking. A full programme (£6.50) is available and can be ordered via the website.