Silverdale

Derelict spaces
Community living

Location:	London, United Kingdom
Services:	Full architectural services

Back to Projects

A derelict playground space and an old community centre in Sydenham are to be transformed into 10 new homes. Residents will benefit from communal indoor and outdoor spaces and private terraces. The two, three and four bedroom homes will cater for a range of needs and are just two minutes from Sydenham railway station.

Derelict spaces

The site consists of a single storey pitched roof community centre and adjacent derelict playground space. Pedestrian access is direct from Silverdale but there is no access for cars. The designs were developed through extensive consultation with the local authority and the public and planned around a communal landscaped space at the centre of the site.

Community living

The scheme will provide a total of 10 individual homes in two blocks – a mix of two, three and four person units - as well as communal indoor space for the use of all residents. The three storey blocks are formed by eroding their primary shape at the corners to express entrances and terraces. Deep punched windows and feature brick details further articulate the appearance of the two buildings.

The first block, with a single central pitch roof referencing neighbouring properties, replaces the community centre and faces out onto Silverdale. The ground floor houses the communal lounge, which leads

out to the gardens, as well as bike and bin stores. Above are two floors of one bed, two person flats. The second block replaces the derelict play area to the rear of the site. Here the roof is a twinset of centre pitched roofs to the front courtyard, with a single centre pitch offset at 90 degrees to the central core. On the ground floor, there is a home for wheelchair users with a mix of flat types above.

Each home has generous external spaces. Flanking walls frame the external terraces and focus views on the communal gardens.