Global architecture and urban design studio TURNER is celebrating the completion of its first large-scale UK project. Located on Capital Interchange Way in West London’s Brentford, the project is a mixed-use development of more than 50,000 square metres, comprising over 400 apartments (including both affordable and build-to-rent housing), alongside 4,000 square metres of commercial and retail tenancies.
TURNER attained planning approval for Redrow and Catalyst Housing and the project went on to be delivered by Telford Living and Peabody. Build-to-rent developer Ridgeback is also now onboard to deliver the project to market.
The development is best described as a precinct made up of three distinct buildings, bordered by two street frontages. TURNER’s precinct design is a new addition to a diverse neighbourhood. The Golden Mile, a new football stadium for the Brentford Football Club, existing housing, and the M4 flyover all share its postcode. The emergence of new schemes for a neighbouring site, and a series of vistas that had to be retained, added to the complexity of the design’s genesis.
“Protecting view corridors is much more critical in London than it is in Sydney,” TURNER Director Kevin Driver says. Kevin is a born-and-bred Brit who spent 16 years in TURNER’s Sydney studio before returning home to set up the London studio.
TURNER’s main challenge was to design the precinct in such a way so as not to obstruct vistas from and to the Kew Gardens, Gunnersbury Park, a local cemetery and east out to St Paul’s Cathedral. As Kevin explains: “We were dealing with quite a lot of planning complexity and literally seeing planning applications for our nearest neighbour as we were designing our side of the street.”
Announcing the entrance to the Golden Mile
“We considered the design from different scales, mindful of how it may impact both distant views and its immediate streetscape,” Kevin explains. The use of drone footage, CAD models, architectural models, and even hand sketching, helped designer and client visualise which and why certain configurations worked best to achieve both a civic and domestic scale.
The result is a configuration whereby the precinct’s commercial component resides closest to the M4 flyover with residential buildings located behind it. Kevin explains it thus: “The scale nearest the motorway is eight-storeys but there are twelve-to-sixteen storeys sitting behind it. When you turn the corner, you go from quite a domestic-scale building to something that’s quite civic and easily seen from a distance — announcing the entrance to the Golden Mile.”
From the outset, TURNER worked closely with the London Borough of Hounslow Council and extensively liaised with their urban design officers. This collaborative approach proved beneficial. Ultimately, the design was approved without any physical changes to the buildings.
Taking visual cues from iconic local buildings
Brentford’s Wallis House (a nearby Art Deco building) was an important reference point for TURNER. “Our design’s materiality, façade composition, brickwork and built form all drew inspiration from that building,” Kevin says.
Just as the façade of Wallis House features repetitious vertical forms, dispersed with a strong focal point, TURNER’s design for the residential buildings also features repetitious vertical forms with projecting balconies serving as their own focal points.
Delivering generous amenity for all residents
The build-to-rent apartments and affordable housing are accommodated in three separate buildings and each benefit from access to three large outdoor communal courtyards. This component Kevin describes as “unusual” for residential buildings in the UK — largely because the land surrounding apartment buildings is usually reserved for public amenity.
However, because this is a mixed-use development, TURNER took the opportunity to locate the retail offerings at ground level to capture foot traffic, especially on game day as football fans transit to the nearby Brentford Football Club’s Gtech Community Stadium. Meanwhile, the courtyards are elevated on higher storeys and, as such, cleverly buffered from the noise of the nearby motorway. Notably, TURNER also reviewed air-quality testing to determine the optimal siting for the residential component of the design.
From the exterior, both the build-to-rent and affordable housing buildings appear identical — an intentional design feature to respect all residents’ needs. “Inside, we brought decades of apartment planning experience to this project, so every single apartment is well proportioned,” Kevin says. Maximising natural light and providing generous living spaces were chief among his successes here.
Where challenge meets opportunity
Surrounding this new precinct are buildings Kevin describes as “ubiquitous”. But TURNER’s design is a departure from the status quo, partly inspired by the challenge of the adjacent M4 flyover.
“Compositionally, this design is very different from anything else around it,” Kevin says. “Our three buildings showcase three distinct angles and three very different approaches to façade types. The one closest to the M4 flyover is a much more sculptured façade that echoes the corners of the road. The second is more domestic in scale and appearance, whilst the third appears more civic and ‘landmark’ in its elevation and scale.”
Subtle design elements have also been incorporated to reduce the scale of the buildings. A good example is the inclusion of a floating roof and an undercut at the top of one of the buildings — a feature that’s relatively common in Australia but less so in the UK.
“None of this is frippery, all of the decisions we made are based on the geometry of the site but together they add interest and appeal to the existing streetscape,” Kevin says.
Executive Architects on this project were 5PA Architects.
