Arch Street
Robin Hayes

Arch Street

Studio Woodroffe Papa as Architects

Introduction: The Regeneration of London’s Elephant and Castle


S333 were part of an ambitious plan by Elephant and Castle Regeneration to deliver high quality homes for the borough of Southwark. As well as providing homes for newcomers, Heygate and Aylesbury Estate residents are relocated across 16 borough-owned sites. One of the sites, Arch Street, offers a mixed tenure development of 52 homes with 3 commercial units.


Site Challenges


The site is in the heart of the regeneration area squeezed between an existing residential block, and a 14 storey tower, a railway viaduct and a busy arterial road. The site completes the existing urban block partially formed by a 3 storey row of apartments and maisonettes. These constraints result in a very constrained development plot that needs to be optimised and re-developed, while at the same time accommodating the wishes to maintain sunlight, views, and privacy for residents living around the site.


Unlocking the Site


Arch Street is part of an ongoing typological research in the studio in to how restricted and impeded sites in cities can be intensified and transformed to offer contemporary living and social amenities for the neighbourhood. For the Arch Street site, S333 understood that the architecture of the project is required to perform a number of urban tasks that questioned the appropriateness of a traditional perimeter block. These tasks are:


• to complete the exiting block • to Integrate the existing Albert Barnes House into the new urban ensemble. • to create a high degree of enclosure to the street and railway with the brief for fewer ground floor uses. • to maintain the views to New Kent Road, sunlight penetration into the site and generous amenity space • to reintroduce a street based architecture supporting a permeable network for pedestrians and cyclists • to establish a new and active frontage along New Kent Road and the newly formed Arch Street


Open Block Concept


The ‘Open Block’ concept for Arch Street allows a certain autonomy for the two free standing volumes that deliver a block interior that is light and airy and allows views into and out of the urban block without sacrificing security and shelter. It allows different parts of the brief to be resolved through diverse forms and heights within a coherent ‘whole’.


Retail elements are located at strategic points on the site perimeter maximising the communal uses and green space for the residents. Rather than a closed ground floor perimeter, screens give secure access and make the green space in the block visible to the street. Of particular importance is how it opens up and brings additional light to Arch Street along side the viaduct. Arch Street forms a new pedestrian and cycle link from the north to the Rail Station.


Generous covered entrances give each building an individual and protected entry: one on New Kent Road the other from Arch Street. The more repetitive apartments are located on the northern edge so as to not overshadow any development.


The more diverse mix of apartments and large 3-bedroom family homes are brought together on the southern edge to create a stepped building form. This allows the most sunlight into the heart of the scheme generated by complex modelling of daylight and sunlight critical in this location. It creates a series of landscaped terraces multiplying the rare commodity of the ground for residential or ecological amenity. Balconies, giving private amenity, are set into the plan so that they can offer shelter and privacy. The lower levels have winter gardens for additional acoustic mitigation.


Urban Marquetry


At the beginning of the 20th century, furniture and department stores such as Tarn & Co. populated the area. Inspired by the marquetry found on furniture of the time the outer edges of the urban block are wrapped in angular wooden panels. This gives the housing a luxurious appearance of a bespoke cabinet. Rather than the standardised patterns usually found on furniture, at Arch Street the pattern is affected by the dynamism of the road and railway. As a counterpart the interior is characterised by a warmer, softer surface of brick that reflects light into the central gardens; the buttery colour of both the brick and mortar forming a singular surface. In contrast to the outer wooden ‘skin’ windows are cut in with deep reveals. On the edges of the blocks, the balconies slip back and forth to create an eroded form. As one moves around the immediate surroundings - by train, car or on foot - the two volumes emerge from the infrastructure and layered with composite views of the two materials.


19. Construction costs*: £1806/m2 (2009) gross Internal area or £1480/m2 (2009) Gross External area.


SUSTAINABILITY 20. Detailed description of the systems applied in order to improve the energy performance and sustainability of the building


Transport accessibility The site is adjacent to Elephant and Castle one of the most accessible nodes in London and therefore the site has a public transport accessibility (PTAL) rating of 6; the highest level of accessibility. A bus stop is located within 100m of the site. The nearest rail station to the site is Elephant & Castle overground and underground station, which is located within 500m. The scheme also only provides two parking spaces, which have been designated for wheelchair users. This was due to the site’s location and good public transport accessibility. The design actively restricts the use of cars on the existing road networks. The site is well suited to pedestrians and has numerous cycle routes within the vicinity. The scheme has also been designed to provide two secure cycle spaces per unit. This complies with Code for Sustainable Homes’ standard


Socio-economic impact As part of the new development at New Kent Road the following local initiatives were employed:


•20% local labour was used at the scheme •Apprenticeship scheme for local resident/trainees •Scheme registered with Considerate Contractors


18 units are provided as affordable housing at New Kent Road, meeting the local social needs. The scheme has been designed to a number of standards to provide wheelchair accessibility.


Conserving energy, materials and water resources The building has been orientated to provide maximum use of natural resources. The building’s main elevation is south facing, whilst daylighting calculations have been undertaken to ensure living rooms and dining rooms are provided with a minimum average daylight factor of at least 1.5%


Energy Efficiency - Good insulation levels, control of air infiltration and the avoidance of thermal bridging have been essential to minimise energy consumption. Furthermore, U-Values for windows, walls, floors and roofs have been specified to offer a significant improvement over current Building Regulations, and thus improve energy efficiency. In addition approved details are used to minimize thermal bridging.


Low Energy Lighting - The lighting design ensures that all external and common areas are specifically designed to accommodate only compact fluorescent lamps (CFL) luminaries or strip lights. Security lighting will be optimised by a combination of daylight detection controls and PIR sensors that ensures that is only activated when necessary. Internal flat lighting will incorporate a minimum of 75% fittings dedicated for energy efficient lighting or low wattage LEDs.


Heating System - The heating system consists of a communal boiler and district heating system to all units. The communal gas boiler will be a highly efficient gas condensing boiler. The scheme has also been designed with the facility to connect to Southwark’s Multi-Utility Services Company (MUSCo) infrastructure. This is a district heating and green water supply being installed within the Borough. The heating is generated from renewable sources in nearby energy centres, whilst the non-potable water (green water) is obtained from the ground.


Ventilation - New Kent Road has been designed to incorporate mechanical ventilation with heat recovery to all units.


Energy Efficient White Goods - Only A-Rated white goods or better will be provided at New Kent Road. Information on responsible purchasing of appliances will also be provided to all occupants. These energy efficient measures all provide a reduction in carbon emissions of about 15%. However, the Code for Sustainable Homes Level 3 requires that we reduce carbon emissions to 25%. This is done through the use of low or zero carbon technologies


Renewable Technology - New Kent Road provides 20% of the developments total energy demand through the use of renewable energy. In addition, the scheme is designed to deliver a reduction in carbon emissions of 25%. The scheme utilises solar thermal energy to meet the renewable energy requirement. 136m2 of solar thermal panels have been installed providing hot water services to all units.


Water Conservation & Recycling - The scheme provides water meters to each unit. Rainwater runoff will be reduced through the use of waterbutts and green roofs. This also reduces the amount of mains potable water used for external water uses. Rainwater is collected for internal/external irrigation use and will be sited where tenants have a garden, patio or communal garden. This reduces the consumption of potable water in the home from all sources through the use of water efficient fittings, appliances and recycling systems. To achieve the requirement of providing not more than 105 litres of water per person per day, wash hand basins, kitchen sinks and showers will be fitted with flow restrictions. In addition, low flush WCs (dual flush) will be used. Baths with reduced capacities will also be used to achieve the reduction in consumption of potable water.


Green Roofs - Sedum gardens create additional thermal insulation and introduce biodiversity; a microclimate for insects and birds, which feed on them. The sedum gardens also deliver rainwater storage capacity. This is important in reducing the loading of storm water drains with a slowing of surface run-off. A variety of trees and perennial plants help in the convection cooling of air through heat absorption during transpiration and help reduce the ‘urban heat’ effect in general but also cool the building. It also further enriches the biodiversity additional living vegetal material necessary on a small urban site.


Space & Roof Design - The project is very site efficient, maximising the development potential of this brown field site. The buildings are six and eight storeys with flat roofs to avoid wasted roof spaces. The flat roof design also allows the maximum area to be available for solar collectors and amenity.


Conserving and enhancing the natural environment and biodiversity The scheme incorporates ecological features that result in a positive enhancement of the site’s ecology. Features include landscape proposals, which are beneficial to wildlife, providing native shrub and tree planting, erecting bird and bat boxes and creating habitat for important species.


Materials & Waste - All waste from this site will be dealt with in accordance with the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and the Environmental Protection (Duty of Care) Regulations 1991. The levels of waste generated by this project will be managed and minimised by the adoption of a waste hierarchy process. All waste materials will be reviewed to establish whether the material can be reduced in the first instances whether it can be reused or recycled.


Waste Recycling - The scheme is designed to incorporate dedicated internal storage for recycling household waste, in each unit and communal bin stores to meet minimum waste volume requirements. Communal bin stores will incorporate recycling bins to enable local authority collection

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