Haggerston West and Kingsland is a significant, high density residential project situated on either side of the Regent’s Canal in Hackney. This £110 million regeneration project comprises 761 new homes, a multi storey community centre and several retail units as well as a new public square and communal gardens.
The scheme is being delivered by L&Q in partnership with Hackney Borough Council, local residents, PRP and the contractor Taylor Wimpey. With a focus on safety and security, a core principle has been to enhance the area, increasing its appeal and individuality to both current and prospective communities, particularly families living in the city. Emphasis has been given to designing human scale, micro neighbourhoods arranged as urban blocks around a network of pedestrian friendly residential streets and improved car parking facilities, providing a safe and secure environment for residents and a sense of community and ownership.
The height, massing, and relationship of the blocks to one another have been carefully and take into account internal planning and dwelling type, orientation, view, proximity to neighbours and the scale of each block. This has also led to the development of particular character areas, producing specific design solutions to suit each situation.
A palette of high-quality materials have been used to define the buildings and relate to the context, reflecting their location in the urban block and the street hierarchy. The choice of bricks has been agreed with LBH planners and was also carefully consulted on with residents.
Two fundamental elevational conditions have been considered; the public facades of the streets and the private facades of the courtyards. The outward facades are more formal. The ordering of elements and the expressed line of structure is grounded in classical proportions with a simple, modern appearance. Definition is given through different coloured bricks including Ivanhoe Cream, Marlborough Stock, Grosvenor Buff Multi and Crowborough Multi Stock. Staffordshire Blue brick has also been used as a contrasting element to break-up the massing by applying it to smaller elements of the facades. The private facades are informal spaces that are softer and brighter. In the smaller courtyards Ibstock’s Ivanhoe Cream brick appears frequently with its lighter colour maximising the daylight. Brick has also been used for the landscaping elements including planters that delineate play areas and circulation.
In some cases, the blocks’ colour variation relates to their unique context. One of the blocks, for example, uses Crowborough Multi Stock brick which echoes the colour on the neighbouring Grade II listed Haggerston Baths.
A simple palette of forms and materials has been used to create this new development which clearly speaks the same language and follows the same design principles but is distinct within each block. As the shapes of these new urban city blocks differ in form and height, the design unites them. By using predominantly bricks on the scheme, over-complexity has been avoided and the scheme complements its surroundings.
