Commendation for best apartment building
Cool corner
It may seem extraordinary that this piece of cool minimalist architecture on the corner of Lansdowne Crescent and Ladbroke Grove should have aroused so much antagonism among neighbouring residents, given that it replaced an ugly 1950s Metropolitan Police section house of eight flats, which had planning permission to be extended.
When Grainger Trust, a quoted property company, bought the site in 2000, local objectors alleged it had chosen a trophy architect in the hope that “his international reputation for work of exquisite refinement” would impress the local planners. One might think this was a very good reason for choosing John Pawson, but in fact the planners agreed the building would be out of scale and would harm the appearance and character of the Ladbroke conservation area.
Given that all the Grade II listed mid-19th-century terraced houses in Lansdowne Crescent have four storeys and a basement, this five-storey building would hardly seem excessive, though it was the yellow concrete facades of Pawson’s first design that upset the neighbours. The objectors were not impressed by the change to Portland stone (which is more expensive than the white stucco of the neighbouring Victorian houses). One said it looks “like a slab of Wall’s ice cream,” while another said it is “like a mausoleum.”
John Pawson explains that his design “had to deal simultaneously with two strikingly different contexts: the dignified villas of Lansdowne Crescent and the larger-scale structures of Ladbroke Grove,” but the planning application was withdrawn in August 2001 and the design was modified sufficiently to obtain planning permission, mainly by sitting the building lower in the sloping site so its ground floor was at the basement level of its neighbours.
Grainger Trust then sold the site in July 2002 to Octagon Developments, who were happy to build the approved design, but commissioned architects Paul Davis & Partners to rework the interior layout to create five lateral apartments aimed specifically at buyers from the nearby large villas, while retaining the openplan feeling of Pawson’s original design. Interior designers were then brought in to dress two show apartments in contrasting styles to suit the modern rooms.
The resulting building has one three-bedroom apartment on each of the five floors, varying in size from 1,986 sq ft (184.5 sq m) to 2,275 sq ft (211.3 sq m), the largest being the penthouse whose floorplans are illustrated here. This has a double-height reception room with, floor-to-ceiling glazing and a large terrace opening off the kitchen. An elegant spiral staircase leads to the master bedroom and ensuite bathroom on the mezzanine floor, and to a galleried study overlooking the reception room.
The ground-floor (garden) apartment has two private terraces, one with electrically operated sliding glass doors running the length of the living room, the other accessed by doors from all three bedrooms. All five apartments have underfloor heating in their well-equipped kitchens and bathrooms, and comfort cooling and heating in the living areas and bedrooms.
Sale prices ranged from £1.95 million to £2.5 million for 999-year leases with a share of the freehold.
HomeBuilder: OCTAGON DEVELOPMENTS LIMITED
Weir House, Hurst Road, East Molesey, Surrey KT8 9AQ
Tel 020 8481 7500 Fax 020 8481 7501
Contact: David Smith, Group Marketing Manager
Email: davids@octdev.co.uk
Website: www.octagon.co.uk
Architects:
Exterior: JOHN PAWSON
Unit B, 70-78 York Way, London N1 9AG
Tel 020 7837 2929 Fax 020 7837 4949
Contact: John Pawson, Principal
Email: email@johnpawson.co.uk
Website: www.johnpawson.com
Interior: PAUL DAVIS AND PARTNERS
The Old School House, 178 Ebury Street, London SW1W 8UP
Tel 020 7730 1178 Fax 020 7730 2144
Contact: Paul Davis, Senior Partner
Email: info@pauldavisandpartners.com
Website: www.pauldavisandpartners.com