St John's Hill

The development reimagines the traditional London street, with townhouses occupying the first two or three storeys, and then flats above. The design of the elevations, with front doors on to the street and the front gardens providing defensible space, creates a route that feels and looks like the surrounding streets.

Bricks have abeen used to create public art reflecting the estate’s history. Sculptor Rodney Harris was commissioned by Peabody to create four brick sculptures based on residents’ memories, which are embedded into the fabric of the buildings.

All homes achieve Code for Sustainable Homes level 4. A key focus of the site’s energy strategy was to reduce utility bills and so minimise the risk of fuel poverty.  A centralised energy centre incorporating combined heat and power (CHP) generates heat for the entire site, distributed through a district heating network. This has been designed to minimise distribution losses, while the CHP has been sized to ensure its economic viability. A significant proportion of electrical demand is supplied by large arrays of roof-mounted photovoltaic panels. 

The site is next to the busiest railway line in Europe, with more than 2,000 trains passing each day, causing very high levels of noise and vibration. A challenge for the acoustic team was to deliver acoustic comfort within the homes adjacent to railway. Consultant Max Fordham worked closely with the design team to develop bespoke, acoustically attenuated ventilators for facades most exposed to train noise. These allow residents to benefit from free cooling while reducing external noise intrusion.