40 PROJECT REPORT: BUILD TO RENT
to all three buildings on the plot, “was positioned in the north east corner, so that you naturally arrive at it first when approaching from the tube station, and it also fronts onto the main road. Between Repton Gardens and Olympic Way is BOXPARK Wembley, the largest BOXPARK in London, accommodating food and beverage outlets and entertainment. Despite the nearby hustle and bustle however, Tollast asserts that “even on a match day it’s relatively quiet.” As part of the overall masterplan’s section 106 agreement, the developers will be providing a GP surgery on the ground floor of irch ouse, meaning its entrance faces the community centre, ‘The Yellow.’ Fitzgerald pays tribute to Tollast’s handle on the overall development as head of masterplanning and design. He emphasises that through Tollast’s vigilant overview of the buildings, public realm and placemaking “Wembley Park really feels like one place, and you move seamlessly between one part and the next achieving that is not as easy as it loos. He gives the example of standardised lighting, signage and wayfinding across the project as ways this is achieved. This is one of the many processes shaping Wembley’s vibrant personality, tying it together neatly and developing a vital sense of place for residents. Fitzgerald mentions that this is no easy feat, “with numerous projects progressing at pace and project teams working simultaneously, coordinating works and sharing the learnings, is a big undertaking.”
In terms of avoiding homogeneity while providing a unity across the site, Tollast explains the approach via a metaphor it’s an architectural auarium with different ‘tanks’, not a zoo.” The team also charged its designers with 10 key principles, including that “it’s space positive: it’s as much about the spaces between the buildings as the buildings,” and to think about design “from district to doorknob,” i.e. at all scales of how people relate to the buildings, from trees and landscaping down to the quality of the fittings. lso, focusing on the five senses, bearing in mind that “it’s easier to add more stuff in than it is to calm things down a bit.”
The design concept for Repton Gardens, following the attention paid to landscaping overall, has focused on “natural, earthy colours and the use of natural products.” A concept of ‘botanical living’ is taken through the whole development meaning a big focus on bringing the outside in, internal plants improving air quality and giving connection with nature throughout the buildings, as well as externally. With the overall range of measures included,
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Quintain Living is claiming these are its “most sustainable homes to date.” Two of the architects bidding for the scheme both came up with a similar concept, interestingly, which the project ended up adopting. Aspen House is an additional low-rise building “like a little pavilion” on the front of the garden, overlooking the public square to the south. Tollast adds that it “helps the garden feel more protected from the civic centre,” without losing the space’s generosity.
The main residents’ amenity spaces are located at first floor level in the blocks, and therefore look over the garden, plus there are rooftop terraces, providing a further differentiator for residents. Tollast says this means there are social spaces “at the bottom, middle and top of our buildings.” He says it’s not “hairshirt” sustainable architecture, it’s “sustainable for the right reasons.” Along with thermal mass, there’s low carbon concrete, hand-built brick, movement sensors, and the scheme links into the sitewide district heating gasfired due to being specified in and waste recycling systems. Last but not least, the corridors are naturally ventilated with louvres, and the balconies are generally stacked to provide shading to them and other rooms.
As well as many other key disciplines, Quintain took care of the landscaping design. Communal areas and the gardens connecting the buildings have been a key focus, inspired by the legacy of designer Humphry Repton.
In the podium garden for example, the developer created mounded groundworks which allowed for the planting of large trees and shrubs. The tree species in the gardens mirror the buildings’ names (albeit apple trees are included, not aspen!).
APARTMENTS
The split of apartments across the three buildings is 51% one bed, 23% two beds, 12% three beds, 7% four beds and 7% studios.
The Discount Market Rent dwellings are ‘pepper-potted’ through the development, to encourage a tenure-blind feeling at Repton Gardens, as they are in several other Quintain developments. The varied apartment designs in the three buildings comprising Repton Gardens encompass useful features such as ‘half bedrooms’ for guests, studios with separate bedrooms, and study areas designed for working from home. There’s also recessed shelving, breakfast bars, a choice of U-shaped and L-shaped kitchens, and all bathrooms are pods (like all other schemes built by Quintain in Wembley Park).
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