Project: Green Lanes, Hackney
The site lies on Green Lanes in the London Borough of Hackney and backs - rather uniquely for such an urban location - onto a large reservoir, now designated as a conservation area. John Pardey Architects, working with Fairview New Homes, developed the design for this 0.6 HA site replacing a former office building with two parallel apartment blocks, averaging six storeys, set either side of a new public pedestrian route through to the reservoir footpath. A nine storey block clad in bronze anodised aluminium provides identity when viewed from across the reservoir.
The design picks up on local terraced housing typologies, where individual houses abut each other yet retain identity through different materials, so here we use two brick colours to create vertical elements, joined together to make the blocks. The two blocks flank a predominantly hard landscaped pedestrian and cycle route, with small private front gardens to ground floor apartments and an off-centre row of mature trees. A seating area is provided close to the water’s edge.
A central CHP plant provides heating for all apartments. The scheme provides 107 apartments ranging from 1 to 3 bedroomed, with some 20% affordable units.
To Green Lanes and the reservoir, large inset balconies create simple, assertive statements while the central route has projecting balconies affording water views to the apartments. Set back attic storeys in zinc cladding form the roofscape which is in turn, capped with PV panels. Balconies are cantilevered with a conbination of glazed or part metal railings, in a dark grey finish. The scheme is car free, with two tube stations within 5 minutes walk and lying on a major bus route into central London, but does provide disabled spaces and drop off.
PROJECT DETAILS Client: Status: Contract value:
Fairview New Homes Ltd. Completion 2015 c. ÂŁ16,000,000.00
Structural Engineer: Landscape architects:
URS MCA