Architecture

Newquay House was a 1930s walk-up estate in Kennington, originally designed by Louis de Soissons for the Duchy of Cornwall. By the 1980s, the building was deteriorating, flats were cold, cramped, and poorly suited to modern family life. Working with the RIBA Pilot Group and tenants, HTA carried out a feasibility study that laid the groundwork for a collaborative transformation of this Grade II listed site. Using the successful model developed at Lea View House, we set up a project base on site and formed a tenants’ panel to explore needs, aspirations, and priorities. Consultation revealed the value of the estate’s multi-generational community and the desire for modern, comfortable homes. The design introduced new front doors on the street, enclosed and secure courtyards, and reconfigured layouts to create family maisonettes, homes for older residents, and a shared community room at the heart of the block.

Architectural sensitivity was key. We worked closely with English Heritage to ensure that changes respected the listed status, including carefully designed replacement windows and the introduction of new balconies to replace unsafe originals. Design decisions were shaped by residents, including kitchen layouts and colour schemes, while shared gardens and planted front yards encouraged ownership and social connection.

This was architecture shaped by people. As one collective letter from the tenants put it, HTA “knitted together a community that was straying apart.” The scheme became a model of inclusive, heritage-sensitive regeneration, balancing practical need, historic value, and long-term community benefit.