The Reserve

The Reserve is a residential development on a constrained, sub-urban, greenfield site, located on the edge of Croydon in South London to provide 77 new family homes.

Client	Private
Budget	£15 Million
Type	Residential
LPA	Croydon
Status	Pre-Application

The overarching concept was to create a new vibrant community and homes within an inclusive environment that is centred around communal interaction, communal amenity and recreation space. The development seeks to encourage interaction while creating a sense of place for the new residents.

Using the challenging site topography in a positive way, the proposed design concept is conceived as a series of buildings that nestle into the existing green environment and respond in a considered way to the immediate context.

The positioning and unique heptagon form of buildings, which was derived through an extensive design process, allows the site density to be significantly increased.

The resultant juxtaposition and form of the buildings reduces overlooking between dwellings, increases amenity space across the site, and allows the natural site contours to wrap around the angled facades in a more sympathetic manner than square or rectangular buildings.

This in turn creates an interesting composition of grounded buildings which not only have a comfortable relationship with one another but also in their direct response to the challenging site topography.

To ensure the existing verdant nature of the site is retained, the varying changes in level within the site boundary have been exploited to hide all parking and service accommodation beneath a communal podium garden.

The proposed development will provide 77 new homes, comprising a mixture of apartment blocks, family dwellings and low rise traditional housing.