THE CHALLENGE
This area was a vacant brownfield site in much need of regeneration. The Royal Borough of Kingston identified a shortage of housing supply in the area and there was a demand for a high quality residential development.
Redrow purchased the site unconditionally with planning consent already in place. The plans were architecturally striking and complex, which meant that the scheme had to be designed from the outside in. This brought with it a number of issues where structural columns and posts encroached on living space, reducing the useable areas of the units.
THE SOLUTION
Redrow analysed the interior layout and revised the design to remove the space constraints.
Redrow used high quality materials on the facades combined with the sweeping set-back design to provide an elegant architectural response. Redrow also carefully designed the public realm dissecting the blocks to provide an appropriate transition from the river’s edge to the scheme itself. The interiors are fitted with the highest quality appliances and are each bespoke designed by interior designer Intu Design – providing purchasers the highest quality designed residential accommodation.
Sustainability is a key design feature of this large scheme. We fitted a biomass boiler to provide low carbon energy to all apartments and introduced a travel plan including a Car Club, electric car-charging points, and cycle vouchers for all new residents, to provide the infrastructure needed for evolving energy and travel requirements.
RESULTS ACHIEVED
The scheme has been instrumental in continuing the renaissance of Kingston’s historic market town and has seen excellent sales rates with over 90% of the apartments having now been sold. Through the quality of our design the prices achieved are 20% higher than a similar riverside scheme, on a comparative basis, built just 18 months before.
AWARDS
2014 Housebuilder Awards: Best design for four storeys or more - Highly Commended
2014 UK Property Awards: Residential High-rise Development – Highly Commended
