Built on a site severely damaged during the Blitz, the architects Chamberlin, Powell and Bon used the reconstruction as an opportunity to rethink how people might live in dense urban environments. Their vision produced a residential landscape shaped by influences ranging from ancient Roman fortifications and European Modernism to Mediterranean and Scandinavian approaches to space and light.

In this setting, Aya and Kazuya welcomed us into their home. Inside, the Barbican’s concrete presence becomes gentler. The light does what light does best: make a place feel inhabited.