In the running for this year’s RIBA Stirling Prize, this block of six apartments by Amin Taha Architects challenges the typical brick-built housing aesthetic.

The building’s structure is made from cross laminated timber: layers of wood which offer a more sustainable alternative to concrete and steel. Clad in perforated hit-and-miss brick, and featuring oversized wicker basket-like balconies, the unusual apartment block sits playfully next to its more traditional neighbours.

Where 42 Barrett’s Grove, N16 8AJ

When Saturday, 1pm – 4pm

Designed by Spheron Architects to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, this is London’s only all-timber church.

Standing in the grounds of Marian House – a cultural centre for the Belarusian community in Woodside Park – the tiny building’s domed spire and shingle roof are inspired by the traditional wooden churches of Belarus.

Where Marian House, Holden Avenue, N12 8HY

When Saturday, 1pm – 5pm

The winner of the 2015 RIBA Stirling Prize, this project by Allford Hall Monaghan Morris (AHMM), has transformed a 1950s campus school.

Six new buildings – four teaching pavilions, a sports hall and a new performing arts centre – are clad in precast concrete panels and sit alongside the school’s existing buildings, forming a completed and coherent campus.

Where Burntwood Lane, SW17 0AQ

When Saturday, 11am – 5pm

Be prepared to queue to get into this relic of Victorian construction hidden beneath the A212 as the ornate subway opens for just a few days each year and is always popular with Open House visitors.

Designed by Charles Barry Junior, this Grade II listed vaulted subway was created to link Joseph Paxton’s Crystal Palace to the nearby high level railway station. Since the station was demolished in 1961, the vaults have been used as a playground, for illegal raves, and starred in the music video for the Chemical Brothers’ single Setting Sun.

Where Crystal Palace Parade, SE19 1LG

When Saturday and Sunday, 11am – 4.15pm

It isn’t easy to find Coffey Architects’ Hidden House but when you do it is a real gem.

Hidden from view, the one-storey house sits above the former prison vaults of the Clerkenwell House of Detention and beside a Grade II listed Victorian school.

With its floating roof, light-filled spaces, and oak-lined perimeter walls, the Hidden House shows what can be done on even the most constrained of London sites.

Where 59 Kingsway Place, Sans Walk, EC1R 0LU

When Saturday and Sunday, 11am – 6pm

Pre-booking is essential for this rare chance to get a look inside the architecture practice of Richard Rogers RA.

Located on the 14th floor of the 51-storey Leadenhall Building, or Cheesegrater as it is affectionately known, the office of Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners is a colourful and light-filled space offering views of Lloyds of London, St Paul’s Cathedral and the City of London.

Where 122 Leadenhall Street, EC3V 4AB

When Saturday, 10am – 4pm

This Grade I listed building by Denys Lasdun is widely regarded as one of London’s most important post-war buildings.

Overlooking Regent’s Park, the mosaic-clad modernist gem includes an oak panelled chamber, a marbled hall, and a spectacular flying staircase.

Where 11 St Andrew’s Place, Regents Park, NW1 4LE

When Sunday, 10am – 5pm

Located in what was previously the Broadcast Centre for the London 2012 Olympic Games, this space for choreographer Wayne McGregor CBE was one of the first to open as part of the centre’s legacy use.

Designed by We Not I, the three dance studios combine with a series of playful spaces in which to collaborate, make and create.

Where Broadcast Centre, Here East, 10 East Bay Lane, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, E15 2GW

When Saturday, 10am – 5pm

The first residential building by architect and academic Peter Salter, this complex of four interlocking houses took more than a decade to complete.

It’s a project that has to be seen for its vivid, creative use of materials and its wacky space arrangements.

Where 235 – 239 Walmer Yard, W11 4EY

When Saturday, 10am – 4pm

Designated as a “rare survival” by English Heritage, this Grade II listed former butcher’s shop is well worth a trip to see and is only opened for a few special events throughout the year.

Featuring elaborate Art Nouveau tiling depicting scenes of animals grazing, a mahogany cashier’s booth, a mosaic tiled floor, and iron meat rails and scrolls, the shop has been carefully preserved, giving an idea of what the high street looked like back in the 1900s.

Where 493 Hornsey Road, N19 3QL

When Saturday and Sunday, 10am – 5pm

This year the RA is once again taking part in London’s Open House weekend.

Come along to Burlington House and explore the Academy’s four centuries of architectural history from Sydney Smirke to Foster + Partners.

More details about events, activities and displays to be announced soon…