Streatham Road

Situated on the axis between Streatham Road and a train line, this building has been designed as a three-dimensional jigsaw puzzle that resolves the relationship between a mix of shops, houses and transport infrastructure. Conceived like a group of nested tables, the scheme is stepped up to align it with the low, medium and high-rise built context. By simultaneously staggering the building volumes to face the road, the development has less impact on the scale of the local neighbourhood.

The project has been organised in a Tetris-like arrangement of building blocks which is part of a holistic strategy that considers both the exterior appearance and the method of construction at the same time. By creating a series of vertical and horizontal steps it becomes possible to divide the development into an efficient grid that makes all flats dual aspect while also providing the opportunity for a simplified build system.

The central and outer volumes will be wrapped in different materials, which helps to create the impression of separate components and therefore reduce a potentially imposing presence along the street edge. Timber is used for the inner section and brick will cover the remaining areas to mediate with the surrounding built landscape.

At the focal point of the wedge-shaped site, a collection of balconies are stacked into a vertical strip that becomes the defining edge of the development when viewed from the train line. Additional balconies have been added across the street-facing façade and a number of private and communal terraces are formed by the stepping nature of the building.