Scheme Description

Our scheme, which achieved occupation in the summer of 2021, provides 32 high quality new homes (50% affordable) with 10% wheelchair accessible apartments
in a range of sizes. From the outset, FBM considered that any design solution within
this small urban site would likely play a key role in the future of the emerging townscape, alongside the recent Coleville Estate masterplan development.
The building’s design reinforces
and defines the streetscape, defined by the adjacent Bridport House to the south, and Crown and Manor development to the
west. Given the small site footprint (427sqm), we maximised the number of homes on the site by increasing the building height to 11 storeys, rising to celebrate
the corner and falling away to the south to respond to the height
of the neighbouring building. The height of the proposal allows homes to capitalise on the wonderful views across the canal and the city, and the building to be seen as integral to the new townscape.
Each home benefits from a generous private amenity space in the form of a balcony or a terrace; at ninth floor the scheme provides a sunny south-facing terrace as communal amenity for residents to enjoy. The materials palette is simple and elegant. An apparent
contrasting brickwork is achieved by a variation in the colour of the mortar, rather than the brick itself, which helps to differentiate the ground floor and recessed upper floors from the main body of the building. Furthermore, a canted
brick detail - with a 45 degree cut in one corner - was introduced
to increase the coarseness of the contrasting materiality. Finally, a triple-stacked soldier brick course was further used to define the lower and upper floors. The elevations have been carefully designed to respond to the opportunities of the site in a controlled way: the ground floor is ‘carved’ away to the north to respond to the new axis created with the Colville Estate Masterplan; a frame element at the top of the building defines the volume’s profile at high level; the carefully-designed balconies are arranged to break the rhythm established by the windows and capitalise on the opportunities provided by this
fantastic canal side location.

Project Data

Start on site January 2018
Completion date July 2021
Number of units 32
Unit types 14 x 1-bed apartments; 15 x 2-bed apartments; 1x 3-bed
apartments; 2 x 3-bed duplexes
Tenure Affordable Rent, Shared Ownership, and Market Sale
Form of contract/procurement Design and Build
Main Contractor Henry Construction
Construction cost £10 million
Planning Authority London Borough of Hackney

Environmental performance data (as designed)

Predicted on-site renewable energy generation per year 5,000 kWh
through PV array
Airtightness at 50pa 3m³/h/m²
CO2 reduction above Building Regulations (2013) 35%
Photography Tim Crocker and FBM Architects