McGrath Road Housing, East London Homes, English Architecture Development, Building News, Images
McGrath Road Housing in East London
14 Sep 2021
Design: Peter Barber Architects
Location: East London, England, UK

McGrath Road Housing
McGrath Road inventively combines a traditional European courtyard typology with a traditional London terrace, setting a new creative benchmark for the future of London?s affordable housing. Twenty-six individual three- and four-storey dual-aspect townhouses, each with its own front door, surround a tree-lined courtyard, giving the development an enhanced sense of community and openness. The scheme?s programmatic rigour is matched by its craftsmanship, which is commendable for design-build procurement route. The design is by Peter Barber Architects
The jury recognises the significant challenges of delivering affordable housing and so it was refreshing to see that the architects had abandoned the typology of a large residential block linked by shared common corridors. Instead, the development?s courtyard configuration allows each house to have its own sense of identity. The entrances are set under parabolic arches, creating arcaded frontages to the street and the courtyard that help to tie the development together, setting the scene for a vibrant and enjoyable resident community.

The use of London stock brick and the understanding of both traditional Victorian window proportions and more intentional arched entrances and secondary folded window...