Brent Cross Town: Plot 15.

In London, this new mid-rise residential complex occupies a central plot within the vast, masterplanned Brent Cross Town regeneration programme. Plot 15 is designed by architect dRMM, and delivers a mix of residential typologies across several volumes that together surround a communal outdoor space.

Location

London, United Kingdom

Client

BXS Limited Partnership (client partnership) Argent Related (developer) Barnet Council (local authority)

Architect

dRMM (Plot 15) Allies & Morrison (wider masterplan)

Project Value

confidential

Span

30,000 m²

Status

in design

Expertise

Bioclimatic

The surrounding Brent Cross Town masterplan is being realised by the developer-team Argent Related, in partnership with the local Barnet Council. It’s a £5bn programme that’s regenerating a formerly industrial area in the north-west of the city, and once complete will provide 6,700 homes and 280,000m2 of commercial space, together with a new retail and hospitality precinct, plus 50 acres of parkland.

Plot 15 is a prominent development that overlooks Brent Cross Town’s new Claremont Park. The new building delivers 270 homes (including both market and affordable housing) together with public amenities, shared courtyards and terraces, and numerous balconies. AKT II’s bioclimatic team has provided wind-comfort expertise to support dRMM’s design of these many exterior spaces.

For Plot 15, the most significant areas of ‘microclimatic’ refinement have been the balcony placements around the northern volume, and also the inhabitable rooftop terraces which are provided at several levels. AKT II’s team has contributed a full breakdown of the proposed scheme’s wind-flow mechanisms, which has then supported dRMM in optimising the occupants’ comfort throughout these areas.

The balconies’ functionality is achieved simply through a careful optimisation of their positioning as part of the residential layouts. The terraces meanwhile are enhanced with the strategic introduction of fixed planters into certain corners, to help create enclosure. Altogether, these subtle design refinements now enable all of the balconies and terraces to be functional and enjoyable for occupants, year-round.

This microclimate assessment also formed part of Plot 15’s successful planning application.

The Brent Cross Town masterplan forms part of the massive, ongoing Brent Cross Cricklewood (BXC) regeneration programme, in the London Borough of Barnet.