New Heron House

Location: Tottenham Hale

Client : Lee Valley Estates

Use: 13 new homes and 875 sqm commercial space

Awards: Shortlisted for the NLA’s Annual New London Awards

Shortlisted for the Housing Design Awards 2021

The scheme occupies a unique but challenging strip of land between watercourses, adjacent to canal locks at Tottenham Hale. The site is overlooked by significant towers and developments to the east and west. These site constraints and opportunities have driven the scheme concept, with long shielding brick-clad flank walls contrasting with open glazed ends to the north & south. The unique profile of the building form has been shaped on plan and section to maximise views up and down the canal and to exploit the southerly aspect, with a series of raked landscaped roof terraces.

This mixed-use building includes 13 residential apartments on upper floors, offices at upper ground and first floor and a public café, adjacent to the canal towpath, at lower ground floor. The internal arrangement of spaces has been articulated to encourage visual interaction between different building users and the adjacent canal and its towpath, whilst maintaining separation required for management and security.

The building has a lozenge shape on plan that provides oblique views up and down the canal from the cranked walls to the eastern and western facades. This will allow views of the towpath even from flats located in the middle of the plan. These oblique views are maximised by projecting bay windows and balconies and from north and south facing windows on the flank walls to inset terraces. All north and south facing flats benefit from generous roof terraces that step back at each floor to maximise the southerly aspect. The main kitchen, dining and living spaces are positioned directly off these roof terraces and balconies and generally the internal space planning and circulation within all flats has been carefully designed to generate key sightlines of the canal and towpath.

The building’s mix of uses will generate activity and surveillance throughout day and night, significantly enhancing safety of the adjacent public realm.  The office includes an estate management and CCTV security hub serving adjacent communities.  A new publicly accessible platform lift will provide step-free access between Ferry Lane and the canal towpath. The scheme includes a series of cascading blue and intensive green roofs with significant planting, rainwater attenuation and habitat generation.