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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Environment
Olivia Lee

‘It feels enveloping and calming’: the London house wrapped in cork

Exterior of the cork-wrapped house
The house in south Tottenham was a ‘leaky’ 1970s property built originally as a clergy house. Photograph: French+Tye

For most homeowners a request from a passerby to touch the exterior of their house would probably raise eyebrows. But for the owner of Nina’s House, which is covered with unusual and striking cork insulation panels, it is not only a common occurrence but is welcomed.

The conversations may start with curiosity but much of the time lead to lengthy, passionate discussions on how to make homes more energy efficient, says the house’s owner, Nina Woodcroft. “We are new to the neighbourhood and it has been a really nice way to engage with our new community. A lot of delivery drivers will be like: ‘What’s this?’, and we’ll have a chat for 10 minutes about cork, you know, instead of just like this transactional, thank you, bye.”

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