The site lies on Colindale Avenue in the London Borough of Barnet and is part of an area outlined for intensification in the London Plan. John Pardey Architects working with Fairview New Homes, have developed the design for this 0.66 HA site replacing some large industrial units, to provide105 low cost apartments in three separate blocks.
The two blocks facing the street are courtyard in form, while the third block straddles the rear of the site. The architectural approach seeks to retain a memory of the brick industrial units, abstracted into brick planar elements – these are seem as abstracted Tetris-like coloured planes with cut-out elements that float above a lighter base. Within the brick plane, an inner, domestic layer of timber and glazing is revealed. Steel balconies are inserted or applied and zinc-clad oriels counterpoint the elevational composition.
Courtyards are softer in buff brick with timber-faced balconies and have pergolas and green wire systems to the courtyards.
