In the London Borough of Sussex, Studio Woodroffe Papa, and POGGI Architecture have completed a mixed-used scheme with 111 residential units for developer Matching Green. The project offers a distinctly European take on multi-family housing concepts with a collective living concept in urban housing that emphasizes community-building, well-being, and social interaction.
The project includes private, shared ownership, and social housing components, situated on a former industrial site and adjacent to a railway viaduct and several housing estates. Commercial usage at the building’s street level carries over into the adjacent railway arch. Services include shops, restaurants, cafes, and artisan food producers.
The building has a strong visual presence with an undulating geometry of balconies and a stepped form that ranges from four to nine stories. In line with the site’s industrial past, dark brick at ground level is used with a gold-ribbed metal steel rainscreen façade for upper stories.
The generously sized apartment features 1, 2, and 3-bed units with shaded balconies and a natural ventilation concept.
The development includes a generous outdoor amenity space with a shared courtyard. Drawing on concepts from European housing, the courtyard includes passive relaxation areas as well as areas specifically designed for children’s play. Wide circulation galleries overlook the courtyard and terminate on roof terraces at the first, fourth, and fifth floors.
Jonathan Woodroffe, Director of Studio Woodroffe Papa, says of the project: “It was great to work with a client that wanted to deliver social and economic value for the local area. Our scheme is helping to activate the local economy of the surrounding railway arches, while also providing generous and flexible living space for tenants. The activities of the courtyard and play spaces contribute to the life of the street through visual permeability at ground level and we hope it helps not only in providing good quality housing but also in helping create a community for the local area.”
