Explorer House - Open House Weekend

[Search East]

Quick thanks to volunteers at Explorer House, as part of the Open House Weekend.

Was good to hear about the aims of this new development on Sydenham Road and the issues they faced with the build and objections from those who wanted the original buildings retained.

The small courtyard area inside the development was a nice feature.

[Tim Lund]

Thanks for sharing that, Search East - and I'm sorry I missed it.

I just looked up the thread about this when the planning permission was going in - we were generally fairly negative.

I go past it quite often, and I can't say I'm that keen on how it looks from the outside



although I'll admit that it looks better than it did before,



and building good housing conditions does actually matter more than my aesthetics.

Anyway here's what it says on the Open House London 2014 site

Background: Sydenham Road was originally a terrace of shops with rear yards and flats above. It was badly damaged in the war and largely rebuilt. However their layout and refurbishment costs made them uneconomic. They slowly fell vacant over a long period and were squatted, becoming a local nuisance.

AmicusHorizon commissioned Baily Garner LLP to carry out a series of feasibility studies and consultation with planners and local residents. This led to the need for additional reports on daylight, rights of light, noise surveys and traffic impact assessment. With this data we were able to prepare a comprehensive planning application, justifying the replacement of the original terrace.

Outcomes: The development involved the demolition of a terrace of brick Edwardian flats that had fallen into disrepair. A new development had to address the form of the existing building to satisfy the local community and the planners.

The scheme has a three storey block fronting the highway, with two x 2 storey wings returning to the existing Victorian houses on the two side streets.

A series of 8 vertical brick elements, with parapets pick up the style of the original terrace. It’s built close to the back edge of the pavement with brick planters and green walls on wire trellis. The balconies for each flat are disguised in open brick enclosures at each end and the middle. This gives a feeling of open structure and light.

The horse shoe plan of the development encloses the four wall courtyard garden at the rear. This provides further amenity space for the residents. There’s a green roof on the flats and houses providing a bio-diverse ecology to the site. Photovoltaic panels on the roof provide a sustainable energy to achieve the Code for Sustainable Homes level 4. The flats and houses were designed to meet the London Housing Design Guide standards. All the flats meet the Lifetime Homes Standards, allowing for future adaption to enable residents to remain in their own homes.

This well designed urban infill provides 17 quality flats and houses for rent and shared ownership. Its proximity to good transport links mean that no parking provision is required. This allowed us to maximise the full development potential of the site, resulting in a sustainable development that improves the street scene.