Warriner Gardens

A residential development by Child Graddon Lewis is conceived as a contemporary interpretation of the traditional terraced house

Photos
Alan Williams

Designed by Child Graddon Lewis, Warriner Gardens occupies part of the historic Old Imperial Laundry site in Battersea, south-west London, and comprises nine houses. Taking its cue from the surrounding terraced Victorian housing, the development is designed acknowledge and respect the established scale, rhythm and materiality of the local context – but with a modern twist, writes CGL. By reimagining key architectural features, such as bay windows, and the use of modern, minimal brick and window details, the design of each house subtly references the architectural language of the neighbouring properties and reinterprets this in a sympathetic yet contemporary manner. To reinforce this approach, a palette of locally inspired materials is employed, including brick, stone, white render and grey standing-seam zinc roofs.

The houses, which are built to Code for Sustainable Homes Level 4 and Lifetime Homes standards, are articulated with vertical feature bays to the front and rear. At the front, the angled bay windows are intended to direct views up and down the street, capture sunlight, and relate to the streetscape. The concept is reversed at the rear, with solid protruding bays designed to provide privacy to the bedrooms and reduce solar gain on the south-facing elevation.

Built over five floors, each house is designed to maximise natural light. On the ground floor, the entrance hall includes a large toilet, cloaks cupboard and a space for a writing desk in the bay window. From here, the generous living space is accessed via tall double doors and is designed as a window onto the south-facing rear garden and lower-ground courtyard.

Site plan; typical floor plans; section

The lower-ground floor kitchen and dining area are accessed from the living room via a feature staircase, and open up onto the courtyard to provide a series of dynamic day-lit spaces. A media/TV room accessed via a glazed corridor allows for a range of family uses in the centre of the house. An external stair with frameless glass balustrading leads back up to the ground floor and the south-facing rear garden.

At first floor level, the master bedroom suite comprises a private south-facing balcony, a dressing room, and a large bathroom with freestanding bath, walk-in shower and feature vanity unit. Two further double bedrooms are located on the second floor – one served by a private balcony and family bathroom, and one by an en-suite shower room. The third floor houses another bedroom along with an en-suite bathroom and large south-facing terrace.