Six terraced townhouses in London's Dartmouth Park conservation area by DHaus, replacing a petrol station with pre-cast concrete arches in Ibstock brick slips

The Arches is a row of 6 terraced townhouses in the Dartmouth Park conservation area of North London, by DHaus founders David Ben-Grunberg and Daniel Woolfson. The site had previously been occupied by a petrol station, which required removal of contaminated materials before construction could begin. The development took around 5 years to complete, with delays compounded by the planning process and the pandemic.

The formal language draws from a study of local buildings around Highgate Road, which showed a recurring pattern of rectangles and arches within brick facades. The studio distilled that observation into the primary element of the design: pre-cast concrete arches clad in Ibstock Bexhill Red Multi brick slips, repeating across the row. The height of the new houses matches the petrol station they replace, ensuring that natural light continues to reach the neighboring Denyer House. The 6 houses appear as single-storey dwellings from Highgate Road; their entrances open from College Lane, aligned with the Victorian architectural grain of the historic cottages already present on that street.

Each house contains approximately 130 square meters of living space across 3 to 4 bedrooms, a study, and a garden room. The basement level holds the open-plan living and kitchen area, which opens onto a sunken rear garden overlooking Highgate Road and the newly created public green space that fronts the development. The project reconnects 2 existing public green spaces that the petrol station had previously interrupted. The structural system uses prefabricated timber and lightweight steel cross-bracing. The green roof harvests rainwater and supports local wildlife, and photovoltaic panels supply renewable energy. Ben-Grunberg grew up in the area and Woolfson had lived nearby, and their knowledge of the neighborhood informed the description they gave the project: a futuristic Victorian throwback.