Social Housing in London

Architect: Metaphorm, GB–London
Structural engineering: Dewhurst Macfarlane, GB–London

1:4000 Site plan
1:400 Floor plan
1:400 Section
1:20 Vertical sections
1:20 Horizontal section

The facade, its colours changing from yellow to dark red and curved along four trees, is highly visible from afar. A reinforced concrete frame serves as structural system on the ground level, while the upper floors feature lightweight steel construction. The high degree of prefabrication and the resulting limited amount of time required for installation on site and crane service helped saved time and money. Further savings were achieved by detailed planning and coordination of dimensions of the individual coffered elements as well as by the black and white benches that follow the facade curve. U-values of facades range from 0.11 to 1.19 W/m². Heat recovery and grey and rain water re-use are also included. Apartments are equipped with light-coloured floors and wood-aluminium windows, accessed by elevators, complemented by a shared roof terrace, and exceed the standards of typical social housing at the same cost.