The fresh new multi-unit apartment designs in Croydon

Johannes van Graan Johannes van Graan
New multi-unit apartment designs in Croydon, London, England. , Imagine Architects (Pty) Ltd Imagine Architects (Pty) Ltd
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From Durban-based Imagine Architects (Pty) Ltd, a property design and –development company, comes today’s inspiring piece. Consisting of professional architects, this firm always pulls out all the style stops when it comes to its speciality: upmarket dwellings (homes, apartments, etc.) and commercial property development. 

In fact, the Imagine Architects team has finalised numerous projects in various locations throughout the years, including London, Durban, Cape Town, and Johannesburg. One look at its ever-growing portfolio will confirm that.

And speaking of portfolio, let’s catch up with this delightful project of theirs: new multi-unit apartment buildings in Croydon, London. 

Some background info

These 4x four-bedroomed, 3-storey apartments in Croydon were designed within the London Town Planning regulations for the minimum space-planning requirements. Whilst these parameters are used as a guideline preferably, apartment design would and should be created in the most spacious means as possible. This is especially challenging in affordable housing developments, but rewarding for Architect and Developer.

Less space? No problem

With our practice performing designs from Thailand to Cape Town, performing stringent space-planning exercises in these tight urban environments in London, makes for a true eye-opener to space availability in this age-old city. To truly appreciate space in its abundance in Thailand or Cape Town is to perform space-planning exercises for multi-unit residential developments in London, England. Whilst they may be pushed for space, the process of design for these types of affordable housing developments is much less forgiving, but highly effective in being forced to consider the highest means of space efficiency possible. Imagine are renowned for a high degree of eccentricity in their designs and were approached for their angles towards innovative space-planning design and originality in signature architecture.

Starting with a silhouette

The top floor bedrooms with a study placed at the base of a unique dominantly vertical bay window cast within the roof pitch was the primary silhouette signature for the design. These plays on roof form and window design integrated within each other unusually created a playfulness that was targeted towards a middle-income bracket and millennial purchaser. Given the fact that the developers’ intentions were to target the first-time buyer markets for units of this size and scale, this playfulness is well considered. So an exuberant, jolly, energy inducing visual design approach was primarily considered in the elevation design philosophy. A new millennial approach to new forms of architecture, so to speak. Unusual, different, non-traditional. Such associations in form derivation and character relate well with the target market direction.

A consistent look

This not only worked well in the architecture design, but also for the trends in the Croydon, south London areas which were and are looking to uplift the area with new approaches to form, aesthetics and materials. The famous artist Mondrian’s unique proportions of orthogonal line shape-shifting are picked up well in the mullion designs within the fenestration. Deep, punctured windows for efficient solar control are also set out of alignment, creating the playfulness in the elevation design. This was also created to keep a visual line of sight privacy in the bedrooms from lower level pedestrians whilst having a view out towards south London. The smaller windows set lower to the finished floor levels encourage a bright sight of a view from bed lying lines of sight whilst maintaining some form of privacy.

Finalising the look

This match of functionality, design and playfulness conclude a rich, innovative approach to the elevation design. Light yellow face-brick colour palettes were proposed to the outside face of the building, not just for the new Croydon Borough material preferences for longevity, but also to be reminiscent of shades of some of the trendy developments in East London and Shad Thames. While the raised profile metal roof sheeting created at usual angles to traditional roof pitches accentuates a vibrant, tectonic overall design to its crown.

In conclusion, the design was well accepted by local Borough and Developer. 

This article was provided by Nicholas Darby from Imagine Architects (Pty) Ltd. 

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