Arcus Road
Lewisham, London
This PassivHaus social housing scheme is in the borough of Lewisham in south-east London. The southern boundary of the sloping site is shared with Bromley Hill Cemetery and surrounded by housing to the west, north and east. The scheme was created as an Exemplar for Phoenix Housing Association during the pandemic. It prioritises pedestrian movements and making safe low-traffic streets as being fundamental to creating communities and improving social connectedness.
Our landscape design is inspired by the idea of front gardens being social spaces to meet with your neighbours. Robust, drought tolerant planting ensures simple maintenance.
Status
Work In Progress
Client
Architect
Structure & Civil Engineer
Momentum Structural Engineers
Main Contractor
Helix Construction Limited
CGI
SLAB
Response to Site
The existing belt of mature trees and green spaces tuck the buildings into their context and form the inspiration for the new homes and landscape.
Creating Places to Live
The generous south-facing front gardens which overlook the communal street are central to the design; low front garden boundaries become places to sit and chat with neighbours, encouraging a more open, social street community.
Back garden boundaries are 1.8m high adjacent to the living spaces to create more private outdoor dining areas, with the boundary dropping to 1.2m at the bottom of the gardens to encourage interaction with neighbours.
Materials in Use
The modest landscape budget challenged us to explore a range of ways to use affordable materials in a creative way. We used small unit off-the-shelf concrete pavers with wide joints that could be colonised by tough, low-growing groundcovers.
Plants in Use
The ambition for a simple, robust planting palette for the central communal street led us to create a mix that is easily understood by both the residents and the maintenance company. The species have been chosen for their winter structure and colour. The base is Sesleria autumnalis through which swathes of perennials will emerge over the seasons.
