Architect and Project Manager – Douglas and King Architects
Planning Consultant – Douglas and King Architects
Structural Engineer – Conisbee
MandE Engineers – Ingine

Douglas and King acted as Design Architect and Project Manager for this apartment building in Cricklewood.

Our client owned a former industrial site and wished to develop it into a modern apartment building comprising of seven duplex apartments across five floors. He had been a student of Architecture before embarking upon a successful career in manufacturing and therefore had a keen interest and awareness of design, the importance of a cost-effective construction process, and the value inherent in using high quality, sustainable materials.

Our brief was to provide four apartments/studios that would provide rental and resale opportunities on an exceedingly small west-facing corner plot.

Our initial approach was to maximize the volume of the building without it having a negative impact on the character of the existing streetscape or neighbouring buildings.  Planning Officers agreed that the development would bring about a transformation of the urban grain within the neighbourhood.

We accommodated the planning height restriction by designing a faceted roofline that increased the apartment accommodation from 4 to 7 within the original massing of the building. The ground floor has a studio apartment, the 1^st and 2^nd floors each house 2 studio apartments and 2 one-bedroomed apartments and above these are 2 two-bedroom duplexes.  The overall internal space is 433M square.

Each apartment is light, airy and spacious, has larger volumes than those set out in current planning guidelines, and utilises modern high-performance windows and internal ‘Juliet’ balconies. We are currently detailing the design of the building and evaluating a SIP Panel Construction System with Kingspan TEK that will guarantee factory built quality structures delivered direct for erection on site.