Walworth Road
Courtyard garden
Section
Ground level
Typical level
182–202 Walworth Road
Soon to be a focal point for the Southwark community, our retrofit proposal for 182–202 Walworth Road is an ambitious, mixed-use redevelopment that brings an under-utilised site back into use.
The project, for Fabrix, will redefine the model of student housing by embedding the population into the community, with 283 student beds alongside a rich mix of uses designed to bring benefit to the local community, including 23 new affordable homes, all of which will be available for social rent.
The architecture and urban design respond to the local context and act as a bold and positive contribution to the surrounding conservation area, with finely crafted brick elevations designed to reinforce the vertical proportions of the Georgian and Victorian high street. The ground floor will be wrapped in a tactile glazed brick, signalling the public-facing uses and inviting in passers-by.
By retaining and extending the concrete frame the project saves an estimated 21 per cent of structural embodied carbon, and the all-electric scheme will also adopt low-carbon and renewable technologies to reduce operational energy use.
The ground floor engages with the local community, through new pedestrian routes that will transform the site into an active, permeable and inclusive place, forging connections between Walworth Road’s new and existing communities.
A community kitchen will use the power of preparing, cooking and sharing healthy food to connect Walworth’s communities and tackle social isolation, including the building’s new student residents. The kitchen will be run by the Walworth-based charity Pembroke House, forming part of the Walworth Neighbourhood Food Model—a local initiative championing a long-term, equitable and sustainable vision for the local food system—and provide vital access to professional kitchens for emerging local food businesses.
The new public courtyard garden will be open to all during daylight hours, providing space for nature and people. Shade from 22 new trees, public seating and landscape features that encourage informal play will invite people to sit and relax throughout the day. The climate-resilient planting for the new gardens will include fruiting trees such as hazel and crab apple and species selected to provide varied, year-round foliage.
| Client | Fabrix | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Location | Walworth, London | ||
| Size | 0.34 ha | ||
| Status | Current | ||
| Homes | 283 student-beds and 23 affordable family homes | ||
| Team |
|
Jenna Patel |
|
