The Circle | Barberio Colella Architetti

The Circle is the result of a collaboration between Barberio Colella Architetti and Pent Developments, a London-based property developer specialising in transforming urban rooftops into new, high-quality living spaces using off-site construction methods. The idea is as simple as it is ambitious: rather than using up new land, construction takes place on the roof of an existing building, with most of the work carried out off-site and rapid installation directly on the rooftop. The design challenge lies in bringing together two worlds that rarely intersect: the efficiency of an industrialised construction system and the bespoke craftsmanship of a designer interior. The result is a highly efficient home, with reduced construction times, minimal disruption to those living on the floors below and consistent build quality, combined with a understated yet sophisticated interior design.

At the heart of the penthouse is a large, open-plan living area, where the living room, dining area and kitchen flow seamlessly into one another without any rigid divisions. The space is defined by a bespoke furniture system that combines storage, technology and lighting: a full-height timber bookcase, designed as a regular grid, forms the backdrop to the living room and houses books, objects and decorative items, whilst a TV wall made of backlit marble slabs becomes the visual focal point of the space. Natural light, filtered through floor-to-ceiling curtains and softened by light-coloured surfaces and neutral textiles, lends the living room a spacious and airy feel, with sweeping views of the London skyline.

The dining area and the kitchen with its central island form part of the same domestic landscape: the table and chairs complement the marble snack island, whilst the timber panelling and flush-mounted wall units create a compact and tidy kitchen wall. In the sleeping area, the same design language – comprising timber panelling and timber cupboards – defines a calm, minimalist space, where integrated linear lighting and upholstered headboards create a cosy atmosphere. Here, the plug-and-play logic of the prefabricated system becomes architecture: compact volumes that incorporate cupboards, passageways and services, whilst maintaining a clean and continuous overall look.

The Circle demonstrates that off-site prefabrication is not synonymous with anonymous standardisation. The same attention to detail, materials and light that The Firm devotes to high-end interiors is applied here to a modular residential module that can be manufactured in a workshop and quickly installed on the roof of an existing building. It is a way of increasing the city’s density by building upwards, adding high-quality homes without lengthy and disruptive construction sites, and of bringing bespoke interior design into an industrialised process.

Technical details:

Location: London, Greater London, United Kingdom

Context: A penthouse on the roof of an existing building in London; the ‘Airspace’ system by Pent Developments. The renderings feature the London skyline (Tower Bridge, The Shard)

Year: 2024

Client: Pent Developments (London)

Commission: collaboration between The Firm, responsible for the interior design, and Pent Developments, responsible for the off-site prefabricated construction system and the rooftop installation (airspace in London)

Typology: Penthouse, Interior design

Area: 130 m²

Functional programme: penthouse with an open-plan living area (living room, dining area, kitchen with an island), a sleeping area with panelling and built-in wardrobes, and a private roof terrace

Status: concept (images: renderings)

Designers: Maurizio Barberio, Micaela Colella (Barberio Colella Architetti)

Main materials: timber panelling, bookcases and wooden cupboards; backlit marble slab TV wall; kitchen island with a marble worktop; light oak parquet flooring; integrated linear lighting and magnetic ceiling tracks; floor-to-ceiling curtains and textiles in neutral shades