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ALBION WHARF

Foster and Partners, Albion Wharf, London, 2003The four levels of accommodation start at the first floor, which includes a greenspace for the residents. Public circulation to the flats is external, with a single

Home Run

The conspicuous glazed volume, whichhouses the luxury private flats ofFoster and Partners’ Albion Riverside,have become a prominent landmark on the River Thames, in full view from London’s Chelsea Embankment.

Stephen Archer describes how thissignature building contrasts with,and is reinforced by, a new block ofaffordable housing, also by Fosters,for the Peabody Trust.

staircase serving all floors and providing access to the central deckaccess at each level. A lift is provided at the southern end of the block.

On the south bank of the River Thames in Battersea, oppositeCheyne Walk in London’s Chelsea, Foster and Partners hasrecently completed a large, mixed-use development. Locatedimmediately next to the practice’s own offices, thedevelopment includes commercial, private residential andaffordable housing elements. The site, developed by HutchisonWhampoa, was originally home to run-down/derelictwarehousing and was a common dumping ground where carswere often set alight. This much neglected area of centralLondon was in stark contrast to the wealthy and fashionabledistrict directly across the river. Fosters proposed a clearregeneration strategy for this derelict riverside area and,hopefully, this intervention will provide some impetus to theregeneration of the wider southern riverside area that includesthe, seemingly abandoned, Battersea Power Station.

The overall site diagram was initially developed inconsultation with Space Syntax1 to ensure maximum benefit ofthe site for both its occupants and London as a whole. Thecompany’s research and investigation concluded that newroutes and pathways would enable the site to open itself up,not only to residents, but also to the many people who enjoywalking along the banks of the Thames. The main, and mostdominant, element of the scheme is Albion Riverside, a largeblock of flats and penthouses for private sale. This large, free-form building is placed adjacent to the towpath along thewater’s edge. The Space Syntax findings also led to theresidential accommodation being raised up to allow for distinctsight lines and pedestrian pathways, as well as ground-levelactivities, including transparent restaurant and retail spacenow bisected by an inviting walkway.

However, while the site is ordered around this mainorganic block, the smaller elements that restrain it are

integral to the success of the whole development. Tothe south and west lie two, more discreet, rectilinearbuildings. The southern one is now occupied as officesfor Hutchison Whampoa, and the western structure,Albion Wharf, is a block of affordable flats for thePeabody Trust.

The Peabody Trust is a major provider of social andaffordable housing in the London area, which began lifeas a philanthropic charity in the mid-19th century. Nowa housing association, it owns or manages nearly 20,000housing units, and is committed to the provision of goodhomes for those who cannot afford to buy independently:‘It's our aim to be one of the country's foremostdevelopment and community regeneration agencies, anoutstanding landlord and a first-class organisation andsocial business. To this end, we work with localcommunities, the Greater London Authority, localgovernment and a wide range of voluntary, private andpublic sector partners. Our mission? To improve thequality of housing and life for our residents, to tacklesocial exclusion and to build lasting, sustainablecommunities.’2

Under the leadership of Dickon Robinson, the trusthas a sustained history of commissioning high-qualitynew developments, both in terms of the architectureand innovative planning/construction solutions, and interms of the tenure for the prospective residents.Examples include Murray Grove, in Hackney, byCartwright Pickard, and Raines Court, in StokeNewington, by Alford Hall Monaghan Morris.

Thus, the Albion Wharf block of affordable flats,designed by Foster and Partners, had a tough reputation

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BelowAlbion Wharf (centre) can just be seen from Chelsea Embankment. Sandwichedbetween the privately owned Albion Riverside apartments and an earlier,mediocre, brick apartment block, some of the units of this affordable housingblock do have river views, despite the awkward positioning of the site.

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to live up to. The design itself had to incorporate manyvariables: position on the site; budgetary constraints; and thenumber of units that could be provided after discussions withboth the Peabody Trust and the local authority.

At the time of the design process, in 1996, the number ofsocial/affordable units that needed to be provided in large-scale developments was a smaller percentage than is nowconsidered appropriate. However, with a total of 196 domesticunits in the Albion Riverside building, the provision of 42affordable apartments in Albion Wharf comes in at roughly 20per cent – a very reasonable figure. The position on the site

was more of a sticking point. From both a planning and‘quality’ perspective, the area of the site allocated to thehousing association was initially perceived as being lessthan favourable.

Situated beside two very undistinguished buildings –a system-clad mirror-glass block to the west and apoor, suburban-style brick apartment block to thenorth, the new affordable housing building went throughmany iterations in mass and plan form before thefinished design took shape. Several different planarrangements were examined, but in the end the most

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Top leftThe generous width of the bridge access to each individual apartment has meantthat residents have adopted it as an extension to their domains. Thus, the publicrealm ends at the edge of the central walkway, not at the front door.

Top rightCareful handling of the exterior spaces means that the dialogue between theprivate and affordable blocks is enhanced, creating an almost European feel to

the area. All external street furniture – benches, bollards and lighting –was designed especially for the site by Foster and Partners.

BottomThe quality of the interior finishes was of a higher standard than thePeabody Trust usually installs in its social housing developments. Theincreased cost of such finishes was filtered down to the prospectiveresidents via the district surveyor’s price evaluation of the properties.+

straightforward won the day. The architects wanted toprovide the optimum solution for their clients so,although river views were greatly restricted, they weremaximised. Also maximised were the other views fromthe site, which, although they do not have the impact ofthe river frontage, do offer glimpses of life in the areaand as such anchor the residents to the wider district inwhich they find themselves.

As with the larger, private residential block, thedecision was taken to raise the accommodation, leavingthe ground floor for retail space and the entrance to theresidents’ underground car park (though this providesparking only for the residents of Albion Riverside, withno provision for the residents of Albion Wharf). Thissolution provides many benefits, such as increasedsecurity and privacy, but also allows the space betweenthe buildings to take on a real sense of being a publicspace, ‘a place of repose’. Here, Fosters has created anoutdoor space that emulates the piazzas of Italy.

The language of the smaller block is in starkcontrast to its more affluent neighbour, but this doesnot mean that it was regarded as the ‘poor relation’ – itis a well-designed and well thought out project. Whilehaving a very different agenda, the care and detail ofthe Peabody building is just as complete. It uses apreformed shuttering system, from Germany, that isattached to the structural frame and then filled withconcrete, a construction process that was quick andeasy. The combined entrance doors and glazing arrivedon site as completed units, as did the full-heightglazing and external cladding to the living areas.

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BelowThe clean lines and high quality of the internal finishes lift the interiorof the flats from the merely serviceable to the highly desirable.

B

50–59%G

0-29% 30–39% 40% 41–49% 60–69% 70–100%F E D C B AALBION WHARF

QUALITATIVE

Space-InteriorSpace-ExteriorLocationCommunity

QUANTITATIVE

Construction Cost

Cost-rental/purchase

Cost in useSustainability

AESTHETICS

Good Design?AppealInnovative?

This table is based on an analytical method of success in contributing to a solution to housing need. The criteria are: Quality of life – does the project maintain or improve good basic standards? Quantitative factors – has the budget achieved the best it can? Aesthetics – does the building work visually?

E

A

B

C

C

C

B

B

D

E

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One of the perennial issues for any housing project is theprovision of storage space ( and this scheme is no exception),alongside the debate as to whether or not balconies should beprovided. Historically, the combination of limited storage and abalcony has led to the latter becoming an open-air cupboard/bike store/larder. To prevent this somewhat unsightly evolution,it was decided that balconies would not be provided in thePeabody project and, instead, a large ground-floor bike storewould be incorporated, at ground level. However, the glazing tothe living spaces does include large French sliding doors withexternal balustrades, which means that while there may not bean external space, the rooms can still be opened to theoutside. The interiors of the flats can, if they wish, become anintegral part of the public square beyond.

Laid out as two boxes of differing sizes, the internalplanning of Albion Wharf, providing a mix of one- and two-bedroom flats, is clear and legible. The open-plan living spaceand kitchen are on the outside edge of each block, with thebedrooms and bathrooms on the inner. It is this inner space,between the two blocks, that brings the scheme to life. Aswith any residential project, public circulation is critical to itssuccess and, here, a variation of ‘deck access’ provides privacyas well as a sense of community. A central, open-air voidbetween each of the blocks has a single platform running itsfull length, at each level. These are not, however, immediatelyoutside the front doors of the flats (which could lead to noisepollution – especially at night). Each individual dwelling isseparated from the walkway by a bridge, so the boundary toeach property begins at the junction of the bridge and thecentral passage. To emphasise the transition from public tosemiprivate, the width of the bridges is greater than that ofthe platforms. The reality for the residents is that they nowhave what is almost a garden path, as nearly all the bridgeshave been furnished with seating and potted plants.

The internal finishes are of a very high standard, with thekitchens and bathrooms particularly well completed. In fact,Peabody decided to install a higher standard of finish here thanis the norm for such a project, to ensure that the high standardof the building was not let down by inferior-quality materials.

With such unprepossessing neighbours to the west andnorth, the views out from the living spaces could have beenless than enjoyable. Thus, in the planning stages, it was agreedearly on to provide the accommodation in two blocks ofunequal length. This planning strategy ensures that while mostof the flats have an oblique river view, there are otherinteresting views in and around the site. It also allows for theinclusion, at first-floor level, of a lawned area for the sole useof the residents, which sits above the entrance to theunderground garage mentioned earlier.

The tenure of the building is completely shared ownership,with the occupiers a mix of residents from the borough ofWandsworth and those on the Peabody Trust’s own waiting list.The properties were valued at around £240,000 for the one-bedroom apartments and £400,000 for the two-bedrooms. Withthe initial percentage of each purchase being between 45 and

50 per cent of the market value, these are not cheaphomes and, while they do enable some people to getonto the property ladder, low-income key workers suchas hospital porters could not afford to buy at theseprices. In addition, the maximum stake in their homesthat residents will ever be able to achieve is 75 per cent,ensuring that the trust will always have a healthyinterest in each property. Maintenance is carried out byPeabody and is financed by an annual service chargelevied on the residents.

Overall, from a design perspective, this is a verysuccessful and well thought through development. Thedifferent elements work well as a larger composition,with the exuberance of Albion Riverside held in checkand enhanced by the calmer language of the flankingbuildings. The separation of the social element from themain residential building, on a less attractive section ofthe site, does raise the question of stigmatisation.However, there are many arguments both for and againstthis strategy; for example, space standards3 can bequite different, and management and maintenance bythe registered social landlord can be performed moreeasily if there is separation. But at Albion Wharf, anyissues of social exclusion have been skilfully avoided.

Despite the fact that the two aspects of the housingmarket are in two very different buildings, thisseparation is a dynamic and positive one. The differingarchitectural styles complement each other and,certainly, Albion Riverside would lose a lot of its impacthad it not such a dialogue with its restrained neighbour.The much talked about, but never really succinctlydefined, term ‘added value’ does actually have meaninghere. A run-down, brownfield site in the heart ofLondon is being transformed into a vibrant, wellthought out, mixed-use urban quarter fulfilling many ofthe issues and requirements of the currentgovernment’s thinking on cities and housing. 4+

Notes1 Space Syntax is a London-based research company that investigatesthe way public space is perceived and inhabited by those who use it. Itsaim is to help architects see beyond their own design and envisage thewider impact and further possibilities of their work.2 www.peabody.org.uk.3 The minimum space standards required by housing associations andthe public sector have been legislated for, while in the private sectorthese minimum requirements do not exist and space provision isdetermined by the return on investment for the developer. This can leadto planning problems when both elements are combined in a single block.

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Stephen Archer is director of London-based Archer Architects,which specialises in the design of social housing. He is currentlywriting, with Bruce Stewart, The Architect’s Navigation Guide to New Housing, which is due to be published in spring 2006.

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