Textured brickwork, arch motifs, and expansive mansard roofs pay homage to the Arts and Crafts style in the Farmstead Road housing development, an affordable project situated in London and designed by the local firm Metropolitan Workshop.
This development, comprising 24 units, is located on an infill site within the 1920s Bellingham Estate in Lewisham. It was created for the not-for-profit, resident-led organization Phoenix Community Housing.
Design Elements and Community Integration
Farmstead Road is a project by Metropolitan Workshop, which sought to respect the historical context of the Bellingham Estate. Originally conceived as a cottage estate, the area features smaller terraced homes influenced by the Arts and Crafts and Garden City movements.
To align with the scale of the existing neighborhood, Metropolitan Workshop segmented Farmstead Road into three distinct volumes, offering a combination of two and three-bedroom apartments, all constructed to meet Passivhaus standards.
“We had to demonstrate that it was possible to develop a sensitive design which didn’t compromise the integrity of the estate’s radial masterplan and character,” said studio partner Tom Mitchell.
Mitchell elaborated, “We did this by adapting the layout to the surrounding estate geometries, so that, when you zoom out, you’d think it was part of the original estate design. Luckily, the planning officers agreed.”
Architectural Features and Aesthetic Choices
The development features two “gatehouse” volumes that replace an existing terrace, framing a driveway leading to a shared parking area and a communal green space at the heart of the project.
This shared area is bordered by a larger block designed with a butterfly-shaped plan, which responds to the boundaries of the site.
The brickwork is enhanced by orange metal accents, which are utilized for balustrades, guttering, and the frames of dormer windows that extend from the oversized mansard roofs.
“Brick patterns mark entrances and frame circulation, chimney features house lifts and service risers, archways mark the routes through to the communal gardens – a common local aspect,” Mitchell noted.
He added, “These forms are playfully flipped upside down to form scalloped balustrades to the gatehouse balconies and sociable circulation terraces of the butterfly block.”
About Metropolitan Workshop
Founded in 2005 by Neil Deely and David Prichard, Metropolitan Workshop operates offices in both London and Dublin. The studio’s portfolio includes various projects, such as a modular housing tower in Wandsworth for developer Pocket Living, which features a distinctive “chameleon-style” glazed ceramic tile exterior.
Other recent housing developments in London include Albion Street by Bell Phillips, known for its scalloped white brick facade, and a faceted retirement complex in Hampstead designed by Stanton Williams.
The photography for this project is credited to Fred Haworth.
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Bildquelle: Pavel Danilyuk auf Pexels
