Gascoigne West, London – Phase 2

Gascoigne West, London – Phase 2

In the north of Gascoigne West estate in Barking, White Arkitekter is designing 386 new homes for council-owned regeneration company, Be First. With attractive and accessible open spaces that are open to all, the scheme is set to improve the health and wellbeing of Gascoigne Estate residents of all generations.

Landscape-led Regeneration

Working with our wider placemaking strategy for the estate overall, White have developed a landscape-led scheme for this key site which promotes walking, shared amenities and reinforces existing routes. The site acts as a gateway to the Gascoigne Estate and a convergence point of routes through and around the estate, linking it to Barking Town Centre.

The idea of the ’15 minute neighbourhood’ is upheld throughout the strategy, strengthening pedestrian and cycle routes and improving access to Barking station, Barking Town Hall, the town centre, shops, library, Gascoigne Square, Abbey Grounds, 4 Schools, the River Roding, Barking Creek and Greatfields Park, which are all within an easy 15 minute stroll.

Client: Be First
Location: Barking, London, UK
Status: Planning submitted August 2020. Completion 2023.
Contractor: Wates
Visuals: White Arkitekter, Hayes Davidson, Studio Monolot

The project provides an opportunity not only to improve the quantity and quality of housing supply, but also the quality of spaces between the buildings and the public realm generally.

Working with existing trees, topography and routes helps to ground the scheme in the context of extensive regeneration in the area. The green buffer of trees and rain gardens along St Pauls Road will enhance urban nature and biodiversity, making the busy roadside more resident- and pedestrian-friendly.

City Block Structure
To maximise the potential of the site and provide the required density of housing whilst amplifying connection to the landscape and surroundings, a combination of tower blocks and townhouses are arranged around courtyards to create three main blocks. The five towers in the scheme range between 9-20 storeys in a tenure-blind design that contains a mix of 1-, 2- and 3-bed homes. 60% of the units will be for affordable rent, the remainder for private rent, and 10% of the units across the scheme will be accessible.

Within the city block structure, the towers are rotated at different angles, creating new and interesting views, improving visual connections into and out of site and enhancing legibility of streetscape. At the corner of St Pauls Road and Gascoigne Road, the tallest of the towers overlooks a public square with active street frontage, creating a landmark and a welcoming entrance to the neighbourhood.

The five towers are conceived of as ‘a group of friends’, sharing a grid, palette and architectural rhythm, whilst each expressing themselves individually and establishing their own identity.

London Borough of Barking & Dagenham has a goal to be carbon neutral by 2030. The buildings will ‘plug into’ a wider energy and district heating network for Barking Town Centre and achieve a 10% reduction in CO2 emissions compared to Building Regulations for energy efficiency alone. The buildings are optimised for minimal energy consumption through their geometry and orientation and the green roofs of the towers all feature solar PV panels to maximise renewable energy generation.

Active Streets
This phase of Gascoigne West will focus around the creation of a new playable park at Tomlins Orchard, a shared space for community activity and socialising. In total, more than 4500m2 of play and public space will be provided. As well as the new 1500m2 park, play is incorporated within public realm and extended to include less formal play spaces and streets, which will give priority to pedestrians over vehicles and allow for a safe zone close to the homes.

“This project gave us the opportunity to improve the quantity and quality of housing available for local people and enable a paradigm shift in how the public spaces can be used; a move from estate to neighbourhood.”
Linda Thiel, Lead Architect

The scheme will also provide secure indoor cycle parking for all residents, as well as spaces for visitors to lock up their bikes, and an underground refuse system for all residents. The landscaping of the site, as well as promoting urban nature and biodiversity, is designed for resilience and integrates green infrastructure.

Collaborative Consultation

Through our ‘Places for Girls’ research we have developed a co-design method which allows us to gauge the needs and responses of young people who would ordinarily struggle to have a voice in consultation processes. We conducted co-design workshops with a school group from the existing estate and gained valuable insights into the kinds of public, play and sheltered spaces they needed in their new neighbourhood.

Contact & Team

Linda Thiel

Linda Thiel

Director

+46 721 58 30 23

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