Art and architecture
This central London site was in a neglected state prior to redevelopment, being occupied by an empty commercial building and a car park. Developer Barratt West London and Assael Architecture have realised the site’s potential with this nine-storey scheme of 34 private and 17 affordable apartments, which has an atrium at its heart and a façade that cleverly incorporates a work of art. The principal façade of the building accommodates a series of aluminium art panels set over six floors, which together form a fractured concentric circle. This artwork is designed by Oliver Marsden. The atrium is topped by an ETFE roof that admits light into the centre of the building. Apartments are contained in the residential wings on either side of the atrium. The atrium contains a single lift shaft and free-standing glazed staircase, which is linked to the rest of the scheme by bridges with glass balustrades. The bridges give views into the atrium space and out to the capital through an adjacent vertical four-storey ETFE wall. The atrium’s centrepiece is a 12 metre long illuminated chandelier made from hand blown glass. The scheme straddles two streets, and has an adjoining building on either side. The architecture responds to both of the adjoining buildings, which vary widely in period and detail, by presenting a classical stripped down natural stone clad frame with glass and aluminium cladding in between. The facades are typified by crisp punched openings, with stone clad reveals and recessed balconies with simply detailed glass balustrades.
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