Armourers Court

Solution

The advent of Crossrail has created a lot of opportunities, including Armourers Court in Woolwich, an over-site development above the new station at Woolwich Arsenal. Standing 25 storeys high and with 394 apartments spread across five buildings, it is in position to take advantage of the area’s new connectivity, including access to City Airport, Canary Wharf and central London via Crossrail.

The buildings had to be integrated with the above-ground station vents, fire escapes, extract fans and other services that have been cleverly concealed below landscaped gardens. The gardens provide amenity space for the development and make visual connections with the street, but also include level changes and aggressive planting to ensure the necessary security for the station.

To lessen the impact of the tall buildings, the brickwork reduces in extent the higher it is, giving what tp bennett’s Guy Johnson calls a “dissolving effect”. Some commercial space has been introduced around the base of the development, with car and cycle parking, and the apartments have ‘whole house’ ventilation systems and garden rooms rather than open balconies.