We were appointed by our client to design a number of mixed flats on a site located within a large residential area in primarily residential Rock Ferry, facing a commercial - residential busy road.
There is an abundance of shops near to the site including a pharmacy, opticians, newsagents, food outlets and other amenities and the area is characterised by semi detached or townhouse buildings. There are larger buildings of three storeys containing flats, which are located adjacent to the site that is to be developed.
Instead of suggesting an elongated stripe of communal space on the site, our solution recommends pocket spaces to accommodate shared gardens, which will be developed by the shaping of the proposed mass of the scheme. In this way, the communal space produced is well defined, diverse and will contribute to the quality of living of residents.
The two blocks of flats incorporated into the scheme will function as a unit through the designated shared amenity spaces. These spaces act as a central core for the proposed building.
Instead of introducing long dark corridors to serve the flats, a path in between the sheltered areas and the open spaces of the shared garden leading to the flats is recommended, to provide residents with diverse perspectives and vistas.
Our design also seeks to expand amenity space through the introduction of balconies. A timber cladding structure acts as a “second skin” and provides a perforated filter between the private and the communal areas, allowing the proposed flats to retain their privacy while embracing interesting vistas to the shared garden, which becomes the focal point of the proposed block.
The scheme is currently in planning and anticipated to start construction stages in the coming months.
