The new proposal replaces an existing warehouse unit with a high quality new residential building that sits well in its surroundings but that also provides good quality living accommodation with a mix of unit types.
The plan and form of the building addresses the corner plot and also the grain of the context and the street. The massing is contained within the footprint of the existing building and also follows the building lines of the terraces at the front. This allows for front garden space and a staggered plan that turns the corner with set back amenity spaces and balconies.
The buildings mass is maintained at four storeys on the outer corner dropping down to two, then one at the rear all of which will maintain a contextual approach, that a building on the corner could occupy.
The edge of the building to the south is set back at the top floor to correspond to the adjacent terrace.
The elevations are articulated with a mixture of expressed red concrete, red brick bonds with a fluted ground floor brick work and vertical stack bonds in panels and under the windows. The curved corner not only provides a large flat on the corner but also a softer edge to the site and a gentle transition from one corner of the plot to the other. The curved area also provides the entrance and lobby areas which sit under a canopy and articulated red metal column and stair.
One key design element of the new building is that it steps up by 1200mm to form a podium that the
accommodation sits on, this is to provide a solution to the flood risk levels. Furthermore the garden
levels to the rear are at the this level, creating private spaces. This plinth is articulated as a concrete
element that also has steps and ramps for access.
The flats are a mixture of studio, one, and two bedroom flats, all with private amenity spaces. The flats are accessed via rear open decks that provide shading to the south and a sense of community and conviviality as they are all connected by one common core. The decks are envisaged as a lightweight series of planes. This arrangement also allows most units to be double aspect.
To provide privacy to the adjoining houses the rear flats are maintained at a lower level with extensive private amenity and garden spaces in front. The mass has been staggered away from the boundary to also maximize distance between properties. Landscaping to the project will be integral and the roofs will be sedum, new gardens will have lawns and flowers, the front of the site will be a mixture of hard landscaping with flowers and hedging to the boundary. New trees will also be planted.
