chamfered apartments

The proposed development site in the heart of Forest Hill, London, is being used as car parking ancillary to the businesses in the area, where an opening backs onto a small residential cul-de-sac. The site is tight and is typical of the kinds of projects we enjoy tackling as a practice, and this one was definitely not without its challenges. In 2015, a proposal was refused due to the constrained nature of the site, the close proximity of nearby residential windows and a proposed design for the apartments that would have resulted in overlooked amenity areas and negatively impacted the privacy of the residents on the upper floors of neighbouring properties.

With this in mind, we worked with our clients to create a new design proposal for this infill development to build two 2-bedroom, split level apartments which we hoped, through their design, would provide an additional sense of place and security for the other live/work units that sit adjacent to the site.

Our design incorporates cutaway, sloping (chamfered) angles which streamline the mass of the building, allowing the apartments to sit back, reduce their impact on neighbouring properties, and stitches together, what believe to be a broken street scene.

Another key part of our design is privacy. We introduce elements of 'secure by design' to the overall scheme by including sensitive screening methods like vertical angled fins on windows, directional recessed windows, opaque glazing, and high boundary fences to prevent overlooking. This allows us to draw in maximum light through large windows while protecting the privacy of residents and neighbours.

Finally, as the site has no existing trees or greenery, our design incorporates three levels of living green roof (two of which are inaccessible) which we hope will increase local biodiversity, create improvements in air quality and acoustics, and increase the energy efficiency of the buildings.

We were successful in obtaining planning permission for the project in September 2020.