Arundel Square, Islington

We pride ourselves on creating design concepts which build quality and value for money into every scheme from the outset, often by coming up with solutions which go way beyond our clients’ brief and which go on to win multiple awards. This includes exploiting hostile, blighted sites which others might ignore. These sites may be adjacent to railways or major utility services, or simply stigmatised by their surroundings.

The great advantage is the initial low cost of such sites which, with skill and care, can be turned into valuable public amenities. At Arundel Square we decked over a railway cutting, creating an acre of developable land to provide 146 new flats in the heart of Islington which won a Housing Design Award in 2011.

The mixed tenure flats complete the fourth side of a Victorian square, and integrate affordable and private housing seamlessly. The multiple cores allow most flats to enjoy a view over the extended square.

We won planning support from the surrounding community who valued the newly landscaped public garden - and the banishment of noisy trains below the decking.  We also contributed to the restoration of Victorian facades around the square, reinstating the traditional Islington square to its former glory.