A four-storey street block reinstates the lost frontage on Woodgrange Road, while a mews-scaled rear block encloses a planted courtyard and sets a clear front-to-back hierarchy.
We purchased the site with consent for a single large ground-floor unit (due to become a sainsburys) and took it back to planning to optimise density and home quality, breaking the ground floor into smaller units that animate both street and lane. The street block holds three 3-bed (6-person) apartments. Living spaces face the street, most bedrooms face the quieter courtyard, and each home has private external amenity with balconies looking to street and or courtyard. Building performance is all-electric, with a fabric-first envelope and air-source heat pumps providing efficient space heating and hot water.
The façade reprises Forest Gate’s historic high-street rhythms, with tripartite plot cadence, paired tall windows, and continuous signage “banners”. The main elevation is laid in handmade brick from Furness Brick, an independent, family-run UK maker now led by brothers in its fourth generation, paired with precast elements and crisp metalwork for durability and depth.
We also introduced a name frieze at the top parapet to echo the dentist directly opposite and as a present to our Grandad on his 80th birthday.
2022/23
Type
Mixed-Use Highstreet In-Fill
Status
Complete
Location
Forest Gate, London
Size
680sqm