Forest Road

Affordable one-bedroom homes on a constrained London site

Forest Road is a new-build development by Pocket Living, delivering 90 affordable one-bedroom homes for local first-time buyers. The concrete frame building includes three, four and five-storey sections. Eight of the homes are adaptable for wheelchair users.

The brownfield site had a number of constraints, including the presence of a UK Power Networks operational substation providing energy for the local area, a number of large trees with root protection zones, a brick retaining wall, existing utility service lines and a Thames Water foul water drain. The site is also constrained by large depths of made ground, leading to the choice of driven piled foundations. 450mm diameter piles have been used, which optimises the number and depth of piles required.

We were responsible for a temporary works programme in relation to the substation. The existing installation could not be demolished until its replacement was fully operational. The new one was constructed on shallow temporary foundations, and later tied to the new building’s pile caps during construction.

The structural grid of the new building has been simplified to avoid transfer structures as much as possible, maximising the amount of partition walls that stack thought the building from the first floor upwards. The lift and stair core provides lateral stability, together with concrete sheer walls located in each wing of the building. The brick facades are supported at each floor level.

MEP engineer : XCO2
fire consultant : JGA
cost consultant : WT Partnership
landscape architect : B|D landscape architects
transport consultant : TPP