Open House: take a nosey around some of London’s most interesting buildings – in pictures

A record 784 London buildings and public spaces will be showcased in next weekend's (17-18 September) Open House, a celebration of the capital's architecture. Here's a small taster of what you'll be able to see
  
  


Open House : City of Westminster college, Terraces
City of Westminster College’s new Paddington Green Campus is a seven-storey stepped design, featuring a full-height atrium, internal and external terraces and a simple and restrained palette of materials and finishes including exposed concrete and pale timber. Sustainable features include solar shading, energy reclaim, rainwater harvesting and green roofs.
Paddington Green, London W2 1NB. Open Saturday only, 10am-5pm. Half-hourly tours, last tour 4pm
Photograph: Vikki Ellis Photograph: /Vikki Ellis
Open House : W. Plumb family butchers, north London
W Plumb is a Grade II listed ornate former Edwardian butcher’s shop, circa 1900, with art nouveau wall tiling, geometric tiled floor, scrolled meat rails and mahogany cashier’s booth with etched and brilliant cut glass.
493 Hornsey Road, N19 3QL. Open Saturday 10am-7pm, Sunday 10am-5pm Photograph: PR
Open House : Royal School of Ballet, Bridge of Aspiration
The Bridge of Aspiration links the Royal Ballet School to the Grade I listed Royal Opera House. From street level the bridge evokes the fluidity and grace of dance.
46 Floral Street, WC2E 9DA. Open Sunday 10.30am-4.30pm, regular tours and some ballet demonstrations Photograph: D Burke/Alamy
Open House : Village Underground, Hackney
Village Underground: recycled tube train carriages make affordable artists’ studios on reclaimed land on top of an abandoned railway viaduct. Sustainable features include solar power.
54 Holywell Lane, EC2A 3PQ. Open Saturday 10am-5pm, tours at 11am, 1pm, 3pm and 4.30pm Photograph: PR
Open House : Lobby of the Sanderson hotel, London
The lobby of the Sanderson. This is a "radical, creative and subversive hotel for the new millennium ... a balancing act – between extravagance and pure simplicity", says the blurb. Entry is to the lobby, billiard room, purple bar, long bar, terrace and bedroom.
50 Berners Street, W1T 3NG. Open Saturday and Sunday 1pm-5pm, regular tours only, first come basis Photograph: PR
Open House : Hackney empire
The exuberant Grade II listed Hackney Empire is the most perfect example of Edwardian variety theatre remaining in London.
291 Mare Street E8 1EJ. Open Saturday and Sunday, tours at 10am and noon Photograph: Graham Turner
Open House : phoenix cinema, east finchley
Recently reopened after restoration for its centenary, the Grade II listed Phoenix Cinema in East Finchley is one of the oldest cinemas in the country with a 1910 barrel-vaulted ceiling and art deco wall reliefs.
52 High Road, N2 9PJ. Open Sunday 10am-5pm; tours at 10.30am, 11.15am, noon, 12.45pm; screening of archive film 2pm-5pm; pre-book only for tours and screening Photograph: Will Martin
Open House : Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2011
The Serpentine Gallery's 2011 Pavilion by Peter Zumthor is the 11th in the annual series of architecture commissions, which offer international architects a platform to realise their first built structures in England. This tranquil haven for rest and reflection centres around a hortus conclusus, a hidden inner garden, conceived by award-winning Dutch landscape designer Piet Oudolf.
Kensington Gardens, W2 3XA. Open Saturday and Sunday 10am-6pm, first come basis. "Green Fingers" free drop-in family day on Sunday from noon-5pm Photograph: Hufton+Crow
 

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