HOUSE VISIT: ARCHITECT BEN RIEDLEY

Words: Giorgia Magrin.

In response to climate change, new approaches to living spaces are becoming essential—not just in terms of food and consumption, but in how we inhabit our homes. Recent innovations, highlighted in the ongoing 2025 Venice Biennale of Architecture, aim to combine human living with a sense of co-existence with nature. One project moving in this direction is the Edwardian terrace in Muswell Hill, the home of Architecture for London’s founder, Ben Ridley.

“As I mentioned before, the connection to nature is key in most of our projects. At my house, the north-facing rear extension inspired the idea of shady, jungle-like planting right up to the window. We do have a hard-paved sitting area, but that’s pushed further back, in a sunnier spot toward the middle of the garden. When you’re in the rear extension, being so close to the ferns, acers, and bamboos really makes you feel like you’ve been transported somewhere far away .” (Ben Riedley, full interview on Arxipelag Volume II)