MANOR PARK WORKS
The most sustainable building is the one which already exists. Refurbishing a warehouse full of character alongside sensitively massed new build has enabled the delivery of 45 units.
Manor Park Works occupies a back land style plot in the heart of Harlseden and is sandwiched between the high street and a Victorian school building. The 3 to 4 storey residential context with adjacencies ranging from 2 – 12m provided highly challenging site constraints with limited access down a narrow road with limited turning space for larger construction vehicles.
For the structural design, a forensic approach has been undertaken to ensure embodied carbon is reduced as far as possible. Retaining as much of the existing warehouse's fabric and features as possible has been a key driver behind the design and delivery of the scheme. The existing clinker concrete slabs have been retained and strengthened where required whilst the additional new floors are constructed with a new light weight steel and timber frame specifically designed to reduce the load and impact on the existing warehouse.
The new build block offers 8 storeys of 100% affordable accommodation. The challenges included providing private amenity space and dual dwellings to all the units whilst mitigating overlooking onto the adjacent properties and school playing fields. This was dealt with through the integration of angled windows and set in balconies/terraces, further helping to articulate the folded massing which is purposely angled to provide oblique views out of the site.
The roof spaces provide residents with communal amenity areas with play space and further communal amenity provided at ground. The planners accepted the principle of upper level communal amenity space on the basis that the offer was well designed with direct level accessible access from the cores.
(01) NEW BLOCK
(02) CYCLE STORE AND PLANT
(03) EXISTING WAREHOUSE
Context – The new build block (01) provides 8 storeys of 100% affordable accommodation. The challenges included providing private amenity space and dual aspects to all the units while mitigating overlooking onto the adjacent properties and school playing fields. This was dealt with through the integration of angled windows and set in balconies/terraces, further helping to articulate the folded massing which is angled to provide oblique views out of the site.
Context – The new build block (01) provides 8 storeys of 100% affordable accommodation. The challenges included providing private amenity space and dual aspects to all the units while mitigating overlooking onto the adjacent properties and school playing fields. This was dealt with through the integration of angled windows and set in balconies/terraces, further helping to articulate the folded massing which is angled to provide oblique views out of the site.
Existing Building – The warehouse floor to ceiling heights had to be increased from the existing. To achieve this, the foundations had to be underpinned to allow for the additional head space and enable an additional floor to be constructed for the ground floor duplexes.
Constrained Site – One of the key challenges faced by both the design and on-site teams has been the constrained nature of the site. The team have had to work hard in order to mitigate issues around the logistics of working within close proximity to neighbouring properties and address concerns surrounding overlooking and overbearing impact of the development.
New Build – Alongside the existing warehouse renovation, a completely new building is also being constructed. From a design side this proposed a few unique issues and two different sets of details had to be drawn up to accommodate.
The works to the existing warehouse include the addition of a lower floor constructed as a semi-basement level below the warehouse and required under pinning of the existing structure. The existing clinker concrete slabs have been retained and strengthened where required and the additional new floors are constructed with a new light weight steel and timber frame built directly off the existing masonry walls.
The upper levels are clad in Corten Steel which was specified for the warehouse extension to create a contrasting but complimentary material palette which references the industrial past of the cotton works. Corten was also specified for the upper floors of the new build block to give the two buildings a harmonious language.
Project Info
STATUS
COMPLETED, 2024
TYPE
RESIDENTIAL
LOCATION
BOROUGH
BRENT
CLIENT
CONTRACT VALUE
£9M
AREA
4200m²
COORDINATES
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ASTLEY HOUSE
ASTLEY HOUSE
NEASDEN LANE
NEASDEN LANE
HOLME
HOLME
THE COWSHED
THE COWSHED
NULLAH
NULLAH
THE PAPER MARKET
THE PAPER MARKET
THAMES DITTON
THAMES DITTON
SAVANNAH HOUSE
SAVANNAH HOUSE
WESTON HALL
WESTON HALL
MILTON COMMON
MILTON COMMON
