44 PROJECT REPORT: SOCIAL & AFFORDABLE HOUSING
or be confused about how to use them, says Lea, adding: “Ultimately, it’s about design- ing in simple things to give someone a decent place to live.” At ground level, the increased floor-to- ceiling areas provide a generous shop front for the single commercial unit, which was very carefully incorporated into the scheme. “Southwark planning requirements wanted to ensure there are employment opportuni- ties on the site,” says Lea. The unit, which is self-contained and
doesn’t require access to the residents’ communal garden, was designed as shell and core, but the dimensions posed a challenge for the architects. “The shop needed large floor to ceiling heights, so that meant the two ground-floor flats also ended up with fairly high ceilings. The separate kitchens [in the flats] would have increased the frontage on a very restricted site, so that was tricky to deal with.”
Sustainability & transport DUAL ASPECT
The layouts allow all apartments to be dual aspect and therefore cross-ventilated All images © Levitt Bernstein
provided a family home with a very nice external space.”
Internal spaces & commercial unit
Due to the flats being occupied, ADF doesn’t get a peek inside, but according to the planning documents Long Lane has been designed to comply with Lifetime Home Standards 2012, the London Design Guide and Southwark’s own design standards. Notably, the two wheelchair homes – one in each block – are three-bed. “That’s unusual for this type of develop- ment,” confirms Lea. “They’re really big and spacious.”All flats are wheelchair-acces- sible, and an outdoor lift ensures residents who cannot climb the stairs can access their flats with ease. Originally, the architects wanted to incor- porate open-plan design in the living spaces, but residents requested separations, so all dwellings, except the accessibility-designed ones, have separate kitchens, with separate kitchens and dining rooms in all two and three-bed flats. Washing machines are also situated in the halls rather than the kitchens, which helps to minimise noise issues in the dwellings. Importantly, the flat layouts allow all apartments to be dual aspect and therefore cross-ventilated. “We tried to stick to the tried and tested solutions where possible, as with new systems, people may not like them
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Tasteful simplicity and practicality seem to be the defining traits of the Long Lane project, from the discreet stainless steel signage on the front, the trace heating on the stairs helping to deal with snow in winter, and the subtle grey frames of the double-glazed windows complementing the dark brick facade.
In terms of energy performance, the build- ings rely mostly on a passive energy design, demonstrated in the bricks’ high thermal mass and additional layers of insulation. The inset south-facing balconies can limit the solar gain in warmer months while allowing in plenty of daylight throughout the year. The acoustic insulation exceeds recommendations by at least five decibels. While gas heating is used – specifying a communal boiler or biomass heating not being financially viable – the development is targeting a 20 per cent reduction in carbon emissions, and the development benefits from sedum roofing and photovoltaic panels. With Long Lane’s close proximity to London Bridge station and various bus routes, the architects devised secure cycle storage for residents but car parking spaces have been limited to two (on Weston Street) and one off Long Lane. The project’s design and delivery has been carefully thought out as being “robust but flexible,” concludes Lea. “I’d think that in 50 years’ time, the bricks would have become a bit more dusty, but otherwise the building would look pretty much the same,” he says, adding jokingly, “The blue bricks are virtually indestructible.”
ADF SEPTEMBER 2017
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