west grove south

Location: Elephant Park, London
Client: Lend Lease
Status: Completion due late 2018
Budget: £45 million

A pivotal city block in a transformational area
West Grove South is located at the southern tip of the vast regeneration of the Heygate Estate in Elephant and Castle, defining the edge of a new public square and fronting onto the Old Town Hall opposite. The scheme comprises 228 homes and 20,000 sqft retail, forming a cluster of buildings wrapped around a central communal courtyard ranging in height from 4-19 storeys.

Achieving maximum value from the land
Working closely with the Local Planning Authority throughout the design process we challenged the outline consented planning parameters, enabling increased heights where appropriate and securing the full support of the Borough with unanimous consent for the scheme.

Characterful buildings embedded in their context
A strong corner element onto Walworth Road marks the beginning of a terrace fronting onto the square that is expressed as a series of adjacent townhouse-scale buildings. This organic arrangement provides a coherent urban edge, whilst also retaining the vibrancy and variety of a London street amidst the rich historic context. The height of the buildings respond to their varied context from 3-storey listed buildings up towards a 30-storey tower in the densest heart of the wider masterplan, with the scale of the individual component elements tailored to suit their orientation and townscape setting.

Facades are articulated to humanise their scale
With the key massing gestures responsive to their diverse immediate neightbours, the subtle form of each element is driven by wider context that become more apparent with height. As such, the facades re-orientate themselves as views open up, with bespoke fenestration patterns and balcony openings framing distant London landmarks.

Visuals
Cityscape Digital

Publications
2014
AJ Online - AHMM and Panter Hudspith win planning for new Heygate homes