In the north of Gascoigne West estate in Barking, councilowned
regeneration company, Be First, are delivering 386 new
homes. With accessible spaces open to all, the scheme is set to
improve the health and wellbeing of residents of all generations.
Working with their wider placemaking strategy for the estate,
White Arkitekter developed a landscape-led design for this key
site which promotes walking, shared amenities and reinforces
existing routes. The site acts as a gateway and a convergence
point of routes; the ‘15-minute neighbourhood’ concept is
upheld throughout the strategy, strengthening pedestrian and
cycle routes and improving access to Barking Town Centre. A
combination of tower blocks and townhouses are arranged
around courtyards to create three main blocks. The five
towers, conceived of as ‘a group of friends’, range between
nine-20 storeys in a tenure-blind design, accommodating a
mix of one-, two- and three-bed homes with four-six units per
core. Apartments at lower levels are accessible with projecting
balconies, while apartments higher up feature recessed
balconies for better microclimate. Of all the apartments 79
per cent are dual or triple aspect, with two- and three-bed
apartments featuring corner views from kitchen and living
areas. The scheme provides secure indoor cycle parking for
all residents, plus visitor spaces, and an underground refuse
system reduces HGV traffic on site. The landscaping of the site
is designed for resilience, integrating green infrastructure as
well as promoting urban nature and biodiversity. The Residents’
Hub accommodates concierge, community use and a 24/7
delivery access point.
London Borough of Barking & Dagenham aims to be carbon
neutral by 2030. The buildings ‘plug into’ a wider energy and
district heating network and achieve a ten per cent reduction
in CO2 emissions compared to Building Regulations for energy
efficiency alone. The buildings are optimised for minimal energy
consumption through their geometry and orientation, and the
façade design optimises natural light whilst reducing heat loads.
The towers feature green roofs and solar PV panels to maximise
renewable energy generation. The green buffer of trees and
rain gardens along St Pauls Road incorporate SuDS as well as
enhancing urban nature and biodiversity.
In terms of future uses the residential design is relatively
fixed, while being supported by robust shared amenities that
are designed with futureproofing in mind. The ground floors
have been designed to accommodate a series of good-sized
bike stores that could be adapted for the use as small business
or office space in the future, should the demand on bike
storage change.
Working with existing trees, topography and routes helps
ground the scheme in the context of extensive regeneration. The development centres around a new 1,500 sqm park, a
generous shared space for community activity and socialising. Overall the scheme includes more than 4,500 sqm of play and
public space within public realm including informal play spaces
and pedestrian-priority streets, allowing for a safe zone close to
the homes.