Kilburn Park Road
For the London Borough of Brent, our team developed the first phase of South Kilburn estate regeneration. The completed scheme doubles the density of the existing estate at the edge of Brent/Westminster boroughs. This involved the redevelopment of three sites made possible by traffic reconfigurations. The design is configured around two blocks separated by a north / south public route which builds on the aspiration for a landscaped green route.Client
London Borough of Brent
Location
Kilburn, London
Size
13,700m²
Value
£25m
Dates
2009–2012
We set to exceed the client’s ambition, a sensitive and sophisticated project that is pioneering and sets the benchmark for the borough returning to its history of council-led development after thirty years. It addresses a divergent and complex set of local demands; re-housing the community uses, re-housing local residents whilst introducing private use; accommodating a doctors’ surgery alongside a supermarket and local shops; increasing density yet remaining low-rise; contemporary but sensitive to the context; pioneering sustainability but robust and discreet.
The buildings provided a mix of 133 affordable and private units, that had to completely recast an existing roundabout and Bison block site; returning to the historic street form, and to define new strategic routes and landscape for the start of the masterplan. We created two new blocks based on the established historic pattern of neighbourhood terraces; but by combining flats and maisonettes- we could generate an animated streetscape with many front doors. Apartments above made the most of the stepping form of building line and generated transparent double height cores that punctured the terrace with secure routes to the gardens beyond. The roofscape and terraces have been maximised to provide additional private amenity. The success of this first phase and additional units provided on site enabled the regeneration process to be accelerated.
