The computer-generated image above shows the building in the context of the proposed Fourth Mile proposals on the B&Q site.
Our aim has been to bring forward a building that complements the existing and emerging context of this important site, with a new approach to residential design with well-being at its heart. It brings about a new choice for working/living in the Borough and contains the infrastructure for a new community that co-live and co-work in an exciting new dynamic environment.
The design is distinctive while at the same time respecting the sensitivity of its surroundings and promotes sustainable values.
The building is arranged on a ground floor that allows for a wider public realm/pavement area with three floors of business space and eighteen residential floors above that, with a roof area that provides additional communal space. A rhythm is created by the layering of the three storey tiers expressed throughout the building. The net internal area is circa 40,000 square metres.
Central to the design is an array of green spaces which, from the protected public realm at ground floor to the residential terraces and rooftop, will be a legible part of the building’s character.
Overall, the building will put nearly three quarters of an acre of nurtured greenery on a derelict, and frequently fly-tipped, brownfield site, which will not just boost biodiversity in a harsh urban context but create a practical and joyful green amenity for residents.
The building responds boldly to a context in which it will be viewed at distance in the company of other large scale developments of varying design and quality. The building form is simple, yet distinctive and well proportioned. Utilising the full extent of the island site, the building frontage addresses each direction, with a reflective façade of pale green glazed ceramic tile.
Closer to, the design of the building ameliorates the hostility of the immediate environment, and it transforms the sense of place presently dominated by the buttress walls of the elevated motorway and large volumes of passing traffic.
Next tile: New places to work
