Built on the site of a small dilapidated storage shed in Hackney, London, The Corner House uses every available metre to bring light into a three-storey home. The house occupies an enviable position at the corner of Butterfield Green, allowing the first floor to open up to and peer through the trees whilst the rest of the house balances privacy with natural daylight. The site's position brought planning complexity with it, and the form needed to respond to the constraints of a subservient rear garden that is also prominent corner plot. The low energy house will be net zero once complete with two PV panels, has an exposed engineered timber structure and is supported by sustainable technologies (including an exhaust air heat pump) to provide a comfortable and resilient internal environment. The Corner House is a Langstaff Day Architects self-build project, and a home for modern inner city living; embracing the need for spaces that can be flexible for home working, guests staying and for studying. (Photography: Nicholas Langstaff / Lewis Bench)