Andy Smith Design
Andy Smith Design
In the mid-1990’s St George bought this site with an outline planning permission based on sketch plans and elevations. My job was to optimise both internal layouts and elevations in a coordinated way to add value. Although this was an uncharacteristic building type at the time, for the location, a degree of inspiration was from the typical London terrace with its hierarchy in brick, stone, render and window forms. A rusticated rendered bottom 2 storeys supports five storeys in brick with window surrounds used to articulate scale and differentiate the top level of the facade. Above this a colonnaded storey forms the penthouse level set back from the facade, rising to two levels at each corner of the H block. We took the idea of the curved roof canopies from the outline permission drawings and developed the curved corner balcony design. In hindsight I think the balconies could have been larger. In-house I increased the number of units whilst adjusting floor areas up and down to optimum sizes and internal layout for each type of flat, and keeping the external elevations well ordered. Final drawings were produced by PRC Fewster and approved by Kensington and Chelsea even as the construction was well under way on the basis of the earlier permission.