New development hides an urban oasis behind a traditional Edwardian street frontage.
Architect Wimshurst Pelleriti, in collaboration with Johnston & Mather, has completed Knightsbridge House, a development of nine uncompromisingly contemporary residential units around a central courtyard formed by two existing buildings. To obtain planning permission from Ealing Borough Council, the architect rebuilt the neglected street facing elevation in the traditional style of the neighbouring recent developments, preserving the integrity of the streetscape.
This project, for a London-based infrastructure research organization, was guided by two fundamentally practical needs:
1. Maximizing natural light & sense of space – While only 4,500 sf, this primarily north-facing mansard space was required to host up to 45 workers at peak moments. A sense of space & daylight were thus primary concerns. Glazed or mirrored partitions throughout maximize the sense of space while the orientation and design of elements in the space serve to maximize daylight. Nearly all elements (curtains, partitions) run north-south in an effort to maintain as much northern light. Despite the apparent contradiction, these strategies enable both openness and privacy.
ONE Putney, a landmark scheme in London, aims at transforming a neglected stretch of the town centre while establishing a new dialogue for future developments along this main thoroughfare. Simultaneously mitigating the scale of the high street and the adjacent neighbourhood required a thoughtful response in order to create a well proportioned and well crafted building for the future.
The six-storey BREEAM Excellent building includes 15 residential apartments, a shared rooftop terrace and green roofs. The design plays with interlocking volumes, reinterpreting the original structure in a new way. Curved corners emphasise the continuous lines along the high street and Montserrat Road, activating more pedestrian space. Horizontal and vertical elements are formed from precast concrete, echoing townscape materials. Carefully respecting scale and the relationship between the high street and bordering residential road, the mixed-use development establishes a strong identity and active retail frontage, with the rear elevation stepping down to reflect the height of two-storey terraced housing behind.
This North London refurbishment provides a place of retreat in a busy urban environment. The period property has been tranformed inside and out to include a new charred timber bedroom extension along with a sympathetic refurbishment of the original dwelling. The internal spaces flow seamlessly to the terrace at the rear, effectively doubling the footprint of the apartment through the creation of an ‘outdoor living room’. Long grasses, climbing plants and slatted screens are positioned to provide a sense of enclosure and allow nature take over this part of the city.
The Tide will be a 5-kilometre network of public spaces and gardens embedded into the daily rhythms of Greenwich Peninsula. Both an elevated and at-grade walkway, with programming split across both levels, The Tide activates spaces above and below to provide a layered network of recreation, culture, and wellness. The Tide will stitch together diverse ecosystems, emerging neighbourhoods, and distinct cultural institutions, connecting north to south, east to west, centre to periphery, and city to river. The Tide is both fast and slow. It is simultaneously a running track, a walking promenade, a series of quiet gardens, and a network of social and cultural hubs.
Lead Designer: Collaborators include Diller Scofidio + Renfro
Designers: Diller Scofidio + Renfro (Lead) in collaboration with Neiheiser Argyros
Diller Scofidio + Renfro: Ben Gilmartin (Partner-in-Charge), Elizabeth Diller, Charles Renfro, Ricardo Scofidio, Anthony Saby, Bryce Suite, Ning Hiransaroj, Alex Knezo, John Newman, Swarnabh Ghosh, Erioseto Hendranata
Neiheiser Argyros: Ryan Neiheiser (Partner-in-Charge), Xristina Argyros, Giorgio Piscitelli, Eleni Vagianou, Danae Haratsis, Nikolas von Schwabe, Athina Zafeiropoulou, Catarina de Almeida Brito, Thalia Chrousos, Chris Yuan, Kevin Larson
Bermondsey Community Nursery has been transformed into a light, bright learning space for pre school children in the heart of Shad Thames. The brief was to completely overhaul the nursery accommodation and increase the number of childcare places for local families.
The completed project relocates the office and staff accommodation into a new extension to create 10 additional child spaces in the main nursery. These spaces are grouped around a maple tree to provide a picturesque and calming focal point in an otherwise busy urban environment.
This house lies on a mid-century modern estate in Holland Park by celebrated architects Maxwell Fry and Jane Drew. Built in 1966, the estate features red brick terraces with integrated garages and generous communal gardens.
The project included a rear extension in matching brick, internal refurbishment and new landscaping. Original internal partitions were removed to create flexible open plan living spaces. A new winding stair is finished in powder coated steel and oak. This compact stair results in significant additional useable floor area on each level.
Somerset family farm enterprise, Yeo Valley, also Britain’s leading organic dairy brand, is expanding on the success of both its dairy product range and its Blagdon-based farm, café and garden in deepest Somerset by opening its very first London outlet, comprised of a two-storey café, shop and workspace on Queensway in west London, designed by award-winning South West creative agency Phoenix Wharf.
About Yeo Valley
The Yeo Valley business has been developed over two generations. From the acquisition of its first Blagdon farm in 1961 to becoming a successful organic dairy producer with a British Friesian herd, adding beef cattle, sheep and a second farm along the way, Yeo Valley went on to work with other co-operative farmers and fruit-growers and is now Britain’s leading organic dairy brand, as well as a thriving local centre of activity. Offering hospitality in the form of an award-winning Canteen and access to a beautiful, Soil Association-certified organic garden, the company’s Blagdon HQ also offers a lively events calendar throughout the year, including educational trips, art days, garden masterclasses and a ‘Farm to Fridge’ day, with all food produced and cooked on site. As a brand, Yeo Valley is synonymous with the quality of its products and its ethical approach to animal husbandry, with the farm’s famous herd digitally-monitored, given only the best organic feed and mattresses to sleep on. The Mead family, who run both the farms and the Yeo Valley enterprise, speak regularly about an approach to business and farming that’s good for animals, people and nature, drawing on the wisdom and experience of family head, Mary Mead OBE.
1 Hardwick street involves the comprehensive refurbishment and extension of a former warehouse building in Clerkenwell, London.
Works to the ground floor include the repositioning of the main entrance door to improve its prominence. The refurbished reception features a new passenger lift, polished concrete floor, bespoke feature lighting, and a bespoke brass directory. Washroom areas are brought up to modern standards with superloo WCs and shower facilities. New signage and wayfinding throughout gives the building a clear identity.
Across the first and second floors, the intention was to work with the existing structure of the building and reveal its original character; expressing the steel structure and brickwork walls. This sensitive approach to the aesthetic was associated with reflecting the local street scene and historic area.
Our clients bought this large Victorian house looking to make it their long term family home. They wanted to invest in the property to make an improvement to their quality and enjoyment of life. Key to their brief was to extend to the rear to form a new open-plan kitchen, living and dining room. The original kitchen-diner was incredibly cold for six months of the year (to the point of being uninhabitable!), so options for improving thermal performance and heating systems were also to be explored.