Following a commission to produce the Design Codes for the London 2012 Olympic Games Athletes’ Village, we designed two plots of accommodation in collaboration with BVN.
The scale of the district changes from an urban context with parks and infrastructure, to a residential setting of buildings and homes. Based on the idea of a city block with buildings arranged around private courtyards, Lucia and Manuka Heights offer a hierarchy of spaces from open and public to intimate and personal.
Each elevation responds to the space it faces; ground floors cater to street level activities, such as shops and cafes, with clearly marked entrances and easily distinguishable apartments above. Post-Games, apartment layouts were efficiently adapted to accommodate the full suite of LDA and GLA design requirements. The result was truly tenure-blind homes for Newham that delivered 60% affordable housing within the rebranded legacy neighbourhood of East Village.
The real draw is the sense of character and community. There’s green space at every turn, but not a single “Keep off the Grass” sign in sight. Better still, people are using them.
London Evening Standard
