Apartments by the Thames

An interesting development of a listed house in Narrow Street, Limehouse, London, backing onto a derelict Thames barge workshop, crumbling into the Thames on Duke Shore (incidentally one of the departure points for convicts going to Australia).  My brief was to design and obtain listed building and planning consent for 12 flats.  My designs for these apartments were based on a converted warehouse aesthetic, minimising the areas provided for bedrooms, kitchens, bathrooms, and maximising the living/working space.  For the design on the Thames side I developed a narrative, drawing from traditional riverside buildings with a classical framework.  For the street side design, the existing facade (right hand side) was restored.  The classical design on the left hand side includes a gateway suggesting a reference to the old convict departure building.

The flats marked ‘A’ on the plan were given listed consent and planning permission.  I produced two proposals for the area marked ‘B’: one for a gatehouse building which would cover the full width, and another proposal for a smaller beach house.  The site was sold on but unfortunately the flats ultimately built here were considerably inferior to the original design.