A contemporary interpretation of a brick warehouse, demonstrating the successful integration of new housing with the adjacent commercial uses, including a vibrant weekend market.

This development provides 52 residential units and 164 sqm of commercial space. The mixed-use scheme creates a sustainable and integrated piece of urban planning and plays a transitionary role in creating the context for the proposed Merton Abbey Mills development to the east. The urban design and building forms to seek to continue the language of the existing market.

The low-energy apartments use high levels of thermal insulation, high-performance glazing systems and recyclable, low embodied energy materials. They benefit from a communal, naturally vented sunspace designed to evacuate smoke naturally as part of the fire strategy. The design of porous landscaped roofs and terraces has reduced the impact of rainwater run-off and provided a more plant and wildlife-friendly environment.

Client: Copthorn Homes Ltd

Construction value: £6,700,000

Completion: July 2004

“The judges this year were wowed by one development more than any other for how it reinvented a common form. Apartment blocks are a key part of our housing provision but rarely has one been designed like this. This is an apartment block with a winter garden instead of a corridor. New residents can enjoy space and light in an exceptional environment – and perhaps even each other’s company.”
Baroness Andrews, Housing Design Awards July 2005
For Bennet's Courtyard, Merton Abbey Mills