Gardner Close | Haworth Tompkins

Gardner Close is Haworth Tompkins’ second project for Pocket Living. Located close to Wanstead High Street, it consists of 20 one-bedroom apartments for first time buyers who live and work in Redbridge. The design makes the most of the challenging brownfield site, successfully overcoming constraints such as limited street frontage, proximity to neighbouring buildings, and site access.

Filling the gap between a row of terraced houses, and Manor House Gardens, the building addresses the road. A calm and robust elevation incorporates generous punched windows and bespoke metalwork that is in dialogue with the material palette of the surrounding buildings. 

Green window frames reference those of The Shrubbery Building, a 1930s Grade II listed apartment block located to the north of the site. Pink metalwork screens the external galleries, and is matched to the colour of the brickwork. We innovatively utilised the gallery screen to perform a number of roles included providing privacy, protection and as a trellis for climbing plants.

All metalwork elements have been manufactured offsite. We collaborated with the subcontractor to reduce the gallery screen to just three standard panel sizes that are repeated, mirrored and rotated across the façade to produce a leaf pattern that provides a backdrop to the shared allotment and garden area.

The site plays host to a number of significant trees that have been carefully retained and considered as part of the design. We worked with the arboriculturist to identify locations in which foundations could be positioned. and ensured that construction within the tree root protection zone was above the existing landscape levels.