Bermondsey Yard – London, UK

2018 – Pre-Planning

The project redevelops an existing industrial site in Southwark by providing a mixed-use scheme comprising residential, commercial and light industrial units. The site, historically occupied by railway infrastructure and later converted to industrial use, is located within a predominantly residential area and adjacent to a local primary school. 

The proposal was developed in careful response to the identified site parameters and site-specific conditions, in particular daylight/ sunlight, privacy/ overlooking and environmental considerations. The resulting massing responds to the existing urban grain to the South of the site and maintains key views through the development. The views through the development are maximised through the sculpting of the blocks. Their stepped sections result in a set back at upper levels, providing amenity space in the form of communal roof terraces. Overlooking is minimised by reducing the extent of the facades facing the schoolyard. Buildings and amenity spaces are distributed to maximise the amount of daylight and avoid the blocking of sunlight from the South. 

The proposal takes advantage of an existing difference in levels within the topography along the Southwest perimeter of the site. This condition helped to separate uses within the development and allowed the creation of below ground commercial and light industrial areas, without the need for major excavations. The shared 'podium' level provides south-facing communal amenity spaces to the residential blocks. Light coloured brickwork distinguishes the residential block from the darker tone of brick proposed for the podium structure. The commercial and light industrial base of the project takes reference from Victorian railway and industrial architecture, both in its materiality and scale of openings.

 

Project Team

German Nieva

Joanna Barnes