Thornton House/ Lambeth

Client:  Homes For Lambeth

Location:  Thornton Road, SW12

Duration:  2019 – 2023

Density:  14 Homes + community garden

The project forms part of the Small Sites Programme being delivered by Homes for Lambeth, a not-for-profit company owned by Lambeth Council tasked with delivering more affordable homes for local families in the Borough. These proposed infill block provides 14 high quality new homes a site to the south of 200- 262 Hydethorpe Road estate buildings. Our design approach was contextual and optimised the number of high-quality homes whilst enhancing the surrounding estate.

The new apartments are arranged in a compact ‘urban villa’, located to provide an improved street frontage along Thornton Road. Ranging in height from two to five storeys, the new building acts as a transition between the seven-storey existing estate buildings to the north and the two-storey Edwardian villas building to the south.

As part of the redevelopment of the site, which is currently an unused and overgrown ball court, a new health and wellbeing garden is provided, including a new play space, exercise zone and food growing opportunities, with further improvements to lighting and landscaping along the street frontage and site boundary. Apartments have been designed to create well-proportioned rooms with good levels of natural light and ventilation. The material palette takes reference from surrounding buildings. Brick is the principal material with the composition of window openings and the position of balconies informed by the listed Victorian villa nearby.

A series of reconstituted stone elements such as window cills, copings and string courses are incorporated into the façades with a strong textural quality that complements the qualities of surrounding brickwork. Secondary elements such as and railings bring a sense of craft at the areas where residents come into contact with the buildings. The schemes are car free, been designed to achieve a 72% carbon reduction and incorporate, considered primarily from an “Fabric first “principle and Incorporate air-source heat pumps and other renewable technologies.

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