CSCB have transformed this part of central London and become a model for community led urban regeneration. Previous projects include the refurbishment of OXO Tower Wharf, award winning co-operative housing at Broadwall, the creation of Bernie Spain Gardens and the completion of the South Bank Riverside Walkway.

Won through a limited competition, the development provided a masterplan to deliver 59 new dwellings, including 32 family houses and a mix of smaller flats and maisonettes over a 200 space car park, together with a neighbourhood centre and facilities building for CSCB. All the dwellings are for rent and are managed by a housing co-op formed by the residents.

The challenge for all inner-city housing is to reconcile the scale and monumentality demanded by the urban streetscape with the privacy and domesticity of homes. On such a prominent site, a strong typology was called for, one which could be understood easily by both the public and its residents. We sought a simple form which established very clear signals of public and private, but had sufficient presence to maintain the metropolitan buzz. The dwellings were therefore arranged around an open courtyard, a hollow square. That allowed communal space to be maximised in the form of a large landscaped garden.

The materials and architectural treatment acknowledges the public and private faces of the development, addressing the street and the courtyard in very different ways. The street façades are expressed as simple brick screens with deep window reveals, whilst the courtyard elevations are a more informal composition of gardens, balconies and timber cladding.

The scheme embodied many principles of sustainability, both in spatial planning and solar access. Each dwelling was given roof-mounted solar panels to produce domestic hot water. Insulation levels, ventilation systems and building materials were all specified for minimum environmental impact.