Architecture

The development has delivered 188 new homes, 72 of which are affordable, as well as providing community enterprise space and parking. It incorporates 43% affordable housing by habitable rooms for both renting and buying and includes larger three or four-bedroom family homes. All dwellings and storage provision match or exceed the standards of The London Plan and London Housing SPG and all homes will be compliant with the Code for Sustainable Homes Level 4. 30% of the homes have been designed as family accommodation and 10% wheelchair adaptable. In response to the prevailing local needs, the proposals have been designed with family accommodation as a key consideration with the majority of two storey family dwellings located at ground level with street doors providing easy access to the adjacent park, individual rear gardens opening out into the private communal courtyards.

The GLA has commended the scheme as an exemplar of the collaborative design process and partnering capable of unlocking the potential of abandoned inner-city brownfield sites to provide much-needed housing. The then Deputy Mayor for Housing, Land and Property, Richard Blakeway said: “It is vitally important that long-standing empty sites like this are urgently put back into community use. This is part of a vast portfolio of land the Mayor is releasing to boost house building across the capital and address the 30 year failure to deliver enough homes. We have ensured the design incorporates some original architecture of the former hospital in honour of the site’s rich heritage. I look forward to the delivery of much needed good quality new homes that will be a great asset to the area.”

The materials used are high quality, durable and identifiable with traditional London residential developments. Brick is the dominant material up until the six storey datum line with stock similar to that of the Hackney Road Building. Stone detailing has been included along the Goldsmith’s Row elevation to complement the architectural detailing found on the existing Hackney Road building, and the pavilions above the sixth floor are clad in lightweight anodised aluminium rainscreen panels.