Re-activating and re-defining a disused former council depot site in Enfield, North London, Bury Street West is a landscape-led development that creates 50 low-energy homes alongside an ecologically-rich meadow setting. Situated between a suburban neighbourhood and green semi-rural areas at the periphery of the city, the project combines the qualities of both environments to create a sensitive new pattern for family dwelling typologies.
The location of the scheme on Metropolitan Open Land (MOL), designated by the GLA, required a thoughtful and orginal approach in order to retain views and a sense of openness through the site. In response, homes are off-set from one another to form a staggered patchwork arrangement, with dwellings organised between gardens and vehicular yards in a pattern that mimics the layout of nearby allotments.
To reflect the sites its semi-rural context, the project is conceived as a field of barn-houses with a range of 2-and 3-storey dwellings varying in width and height to accommodate a range of interior layouts within. The considered orientation of dwellings with gable ends facing east and west provides a buffer to the nearby A10 highway, with all dwellings designed to maximise southern aspect and benefit from increased natural light and enhanced thermal performance. Pitched roofs and strong gable ends define the character of the buildings, along with a paired-back palette of brickwork and the presence of timbre louvres which recall agricultural forms. Diamond and staggered protruding brickwork adds texture to blank facades and articulates and enhances the simple domestic forms.
Enhancing the site’s ecological qualities was an important consideration for the project. Due to the sloping nature of the site to the south, sustainable urban drainage strategies (SUDS) were devised, with regular rain gardens to slow the movement of water towards Salmons Brook. Here an open, bio-diverse wildflower meadow provides a natural, open space for community recreation and an environmental buffer for potential flooding from the Brook. These natural qualities are extended through the scheme, with street gardens and trees which further enhance the bio-diversity of the neighbourhood, which is linked to new routes and green ‘quietway’ cycle path.