“Converting an old Art-Deco ‘home for cars’ into new ‘homes for people’”.
38-40 Croydon Road
West Wickham,Kent
Client — Columbia Threadneedle
Area — 5,500 sqm
Use — Residential led mixed use
Status — Planning permision granted
Somewhere
amongst the retail detritus currently on this site is a locally listed landmark,
built in the Art-Deco style in 1935, at a time when the motor car was
applauded as modern and glamorous!
The original building boasted a restaurant, a roof garden and an orchestra stage and was celebrated at the time as ‘Kent’s finest motor garage’.
Now it’s a ‘Wickes’, and probably not ‘Kent’s finest’ one either.
Our design restores the best bits of the original building and then mirrors its ‘streamlined’ 1930’s elevation around an existing central brick drum - to create a symmetrical facade that greatly enhances the civic presence of the site.
The scheme creates 61 new apartments and sweeps away years of unsympathetic extensions, alterations and mobile telecoms infrastructure – to provide, once again, a forward looking building that locals can be proud of.
The original building boasted a restaurant, a roof garden and an orchestra stage and was celebrated at the time as ‘Kent’s finest motor garage’.
Now it’s a ‘Wickes’, and probably not ‘Kent’s finest’ one either.
Our design restores the best bits of the original building and then mirrors its ‘streamlined’ 1930’s elevation around an existing central brick drum - to create a symmetrical facade that greatly enhances the civic presence of the site.
The scheme creates 61 new apartments and sweeps away years of unsympathetic extensions, alterations and mobile telecoms infrastructure – to provide, once again, a forward looking building that locals can be proud of.
The design includes a new building to the rear - set against a Thames Water balancing pond. We’re hoping this can be made to look like an attractive waterside setting - rather than some forgotten industrial infrastructure...
Before.
After.
Design development included an array of 3D prints to explore potential massing.
Existing Section
Proposed Section - showing the basement car park that was included to maximise the ‘car-free’ landscape setting of the Art Deco facade - which seems a little ironic given the original building’s purpose.
Concept sketch... ...we’d love to say that the design came from one moment of conceptual genius - but that’s almost never true - and this was drawn well after the design was worked out (...obvs).