Gort Scott was appointed by developer Pocket Living to design a building with 22 new high quality one-, two- and three-bedroom homes for local people who are in housing need in the Old Kent Road area.

Residents will have access to well-landscaped outdoor spaces in the form of a ground level courtyard garden and play space, and a roof terrace. These will provide places to meet and connect to support a sense of community within the building.

Elevations are calm and ordered within a tripartite layering of plinth, middle and crown, with subtle points of difference that respond to the specifics of their location – such as features at first floor that afford greater privacy and security to residents. The plinth incorporates large, glazed openings in contrast with the middle section of the façade, which is characterised by a regular array of punched window openings set within deep reveals. The crown is expressed through brickwork pilasters that become the colonnade to a roof terrace.

Plum-tone bricks and contrasting precast detailing will complement the palette of nearby buildings – the buff London stock bricks of the warehouses on Verney Road, the red-tone bricks of the newer neighbouring developments, and the general industrial character of the area. Metalwork throughout will be finished in a deep red iron oxide colour.

All homes are either dual or triple aspect, enabling cross-ventilation and good levels of daylight to promote a healthy living environment.

Air-source heat pumps and photovoltaic panels, located at roof level, are calculated to provide a saving of about 17.2 tonnes of CO2 per year in regulated carbon dioxide emissions.