Kidderpore Green

Situated in the Redington and Frognal Conservation Area near Hampstead Heath in north London, Kidderpore Green is unusual because its 128 residential units are spread across fourteen typologically diverse buildings. They include the conservation and conversion of four Arts and Crafts houses into split-level apartments, the adaptive re-use of a concrete frame library into a residential block, seven new residential buildings of mixed tenure, a private four-storey house, and a new four-storey home for Hampstead School of Art.

Our design response takes a contextual approach. The appearance, detail and materiality of the new buildings have been drawn from the palette of materials and character of the conservation area, whilst their massing and arrangement on the site reflects historic local development patterns.

New buildings along Finchley Road are designed as pairs of villas, consistent with the urban streetscape, while those on Kidderpore Avenue take cues from the Arts and Crafts houses along the street.

At the same time, the project retains and refurbishes a number of existing buildings on the site as well as raising their environmental credentials. Four Arts and Crafts houses are converted into apartments, whilst the eight-storey former library is converted into a residential block. The adaptive re-use of these buildings, totalling some 40% of the scheme, has been intrinsically sustainable. There are also a number of ecological features incorporated across the urban site, including bio-diverse and sedum roofs, the retention of large existing trees, and the provision of habitats for birds, bats and frogs.

Public realm improvements include a pedestrian mews that provides new connections across the site, linking Kidderpore Avenue with Finchley Road, and there is a large green space for residents at the heart of the development.

The provision of a new building for Hampstead School of Art, an important local institution that had long been located on the site, plays a pivotal role in the development. Located at the heart of the site, its light-filled studio spaces are arranged over three floors with a public café and gallery on the ground floor.

The architecture evolved through collaboration with the art school and its students, and features a double-height glazed facade, rust-patina sculptural metalwork juxtaposed with deep-textured grey brick, zinc roofing and charcoal coloured window frames. The building has an assured presence and creates new public spaces through its frontage onto a piazza.