Commerce Road in Brentford is a new development that will provide 124 dual-aspect, socially rented homes as part of the final phase of the Brentford Lock West Development.

The project, situated at Commerce Road, will provide 124 socially rented homes for the final phase of the Brentford Lock West development on the Grand Union Canal, in the London Borough of Hounslow.

Situated on a tightly constrained site, bordering the Hounslow Loop railway and adjacent bus depot as well as neighbouring blocks of the wider masterplan, our proposal sensitively responds to its context through massing formed in stepped heights and articulated balconies in sculpted brick.

Creating 100% dual-aspect homes with even dwelling distribution across the two blocks, the form pulls light through the scheme and down into a central courtyard, ensuring cross ventilation and passive cooling - and reducing reliance on mechanical cooling systems. At street level, a generous sequence of resident amenity spaces, including a new TRA meeting hall, meets an architectural colonnade alongside new green and play spaces. Private amenities are plentiful throughout with balconies and gardens for 100% of homes.

Green space is central to the design, seeking to provide a strong contrast to the dense urban surroundings and the new buildings interact with two new outdoor features.

A ground level courtyard serves as a nature-rich setting that residents pass through daily, creating an everyday connection to green space. Here, we have embedded play throughout, and a giant slide for children makes use of the wall of the cycle storage to create a focal point within the courtyard. A playful path and meandering steppingstones weave through planting, bringing natural play into a forest-like setting. On the roof, a rooftop garden, designed as walled gardens, offers a moment of calm and space for low-maintenance food growing. The wider public realm also benefits from this approach to greening, with green space spilling onto the street and softening the urban edge.