Rehearsal Rooms

The project comprises two blocks, of 16 and 13 storeys, linked by a lower section of four storeys. This configuration allows the building to occupy almost every square foot of the site. While the lower of the two blocks is a simple rectangular box, the taller one reads as three narrow slabs standing on end, which take the building around the corner and provide formal rationale for the three set-backs at its top. There are commercial units at ground level, which will open out onto what has been earmarked by the local authority as a new public square.

With the budget comparatively limited, Newground has focused its attention on maximising the fundamentals of space and light. For example, a window is always visible at the end of a vista from the front door. Doors are often frameless and floor-to-ceiling. In the two-bed flats, the bedrooms are the same size – useful in flat shares. Rather than carpets – unsuited to flats that are rented out – floors are tiled. Balconies are generously sized and, on the eastern tower, run diagonally along the step-outs with no need for those unsatisfactory dividing walls separating which part of the balcony belongs to which flat.

The landscape architect developed a roofscape strategy of accessible, communal, productive and playable terraces alongside biodiverse areas with green and brown roofs. On the first floor, a grid of multi-stem birch trees set within giant flowerpots provides dappled shade to the play and exercise terrace, which is furnished with a ping-pong table, gym equipment and an incidental play set within a patchwork of rubber crumb to create a place to socialise. The fourth-floor outdoor room is a place to relax, an inviting, south-facing terrace for social gathering and interaction. BBQs, food prep tables and communal dining areas create a space for residents to enjoy.