Arundel Square

The original Arundel Square was never completed. After three sides were finished the Victorian developer ran out of money and the North London Line was constructed in a cutting on the south side of the central gardens. In our radical approach we have decked over the railway, creating an extra acre of land. Half of this land has been added to Arundel Square Gardens, and on the remainder we have completed the square with a new six-storey apartment building. This new fourth terrace is a contemporary reinterpretation of the historic elevations on the square’s other three sides, designed to reflect the scale and intricacy of the Victorian houses surrounding the central gardens. But rather than a pastiche, this is a contemporary apartment scheme. It is clad in limestone to reflect the white stucco of the surrounding houses. And its height and continuous roofline aim to provide continuity with the original three sides. Its boldest features are the sweeping bays which extend over the middle four storeys of the building, in a modern reinterpretation of the proportions of the historic terraces across the square. Our design also provides an invisible mix of tenures and homes with a dual aspect. It is planned as six adjoining self-contained blocks providing 146 mixed-tenure apartments. In each block there is a range of 20 or so flats, varying from studios to the large penthouses on the top floor, and all exceeding HQI space requirements. The ‘collegiate’ plan with multiple cores allows the great majority of the flats, including the affordable homes, to have views over the public gardens in the centre of the square, and most of the apartments enjoy a dual aspect. The scheme almost doubles the size of the square’s public garden, which has been extended over the cutting itself. The project creates funds for the regeneration of the public gardens by Islington Council and also for the restoration of an adjacent terrace of 18 houses.