A Croydon office building is reworked as housing by Alma-nac

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Jack Hobhouse

Alma-nac has transformed a former concrete-framed office block in Croydon, south London, into 43 residential apartments for developer Joseph Homes. Central to the scheme is an external circulation strategy that ensures each dwelling is dual aspect and has a south-facing living space.

“Given the existing footprint and building aspect, a central corridor servicing flats on either side would have resulted in north-facing, single-aspect apartments”, explains Alma-nac director Caspar Rodgers. “We designed an external circulation structure running across the north-facing elevation, acoustically dampened and physically offset from the building to minimise its impact to occupants. This doubles as a services tracking route, increasing the available head-height within the apartments, and reducing issues of internal service transfer.”

The ground floor comprises eight, one-bedrooms apartments, a studio apartment and a ‘shared’ living room/workspace. The first, second and third floors each contain nine one-bedroom flats and a studio. Three two-bedroom apartments, a ‘spare’ bedroom, and roof terrace with a built-in barbecue occupy the fourth floor. The spare bedroom, workspace and terrace are conceived as communal facilities for use by the residents.

Paired apartments share entrance lobbies, recessed into the centre of the floor plan. This not only maximises spatial efficiency, but also encourages a more social and neighbourly atmosphere in the building. The living spaces open onto angled, timber-clad balconies that provide privacy and views over the nearby train tracks. Chipped rubber, commonly found in children’s playgrounds, is used on the walkways for acoustic dampening and to further delineate the shared and private spaces.

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