Design
To provide character and variation to the development, a number of building typologies have been proposed making use of interesting materials. The revised submission has been further developed to positively respond to feedback received from engagement and consultation with the community and statutory authorities. The tallest building has been significantly reduced in height and now sits slightly below the tallest building in the adjoining White City Living development. The taller elements of the scheme remain at the northern end of the site aligning with council policy to create a tall building cluster alongside the neighbouring White City Living development. They are strategically located nearest to the transport hub acting as a signpost to the adjoining hub of commercial activity, and act as a gateway to our scheme.
The feature building provides a unique built form and will be designed to stand out and act as a feature, bringing architectural interest to the Makery.
The courtyard buildings stagger in height and frame the park, allowing the maximum amount of daylight and sunlight into the space for people to sit and relax as is described in the landscape section.
As part of the evolution of the design proposals since the 2021 submission, further extensive design reviews have been carried out through technical consultants, and their studies have informed the location of built form and revised building heights. The initial conclusions from these studies confirm that the daylight and sunlight and the microclimate for the proposals are acceptable, given the high-density urban location of the Westfield London Residential Phase 2 site.
The reduction in height of the tallest building has provided an opportunity to refine and optimise the design.
Materials
Although the application is outline and all detailed design elements will be dealt with in later applications, we are giving consideration at this stage about how all the elements will come together.
We are proposing using slightly different materials for the four main types of building within the development. All building types will have materials that complement in colour and have their own individual detailed design that adds interest.
Fire Safety
Building safety is a key priority for any of our developments and as part of the design process and preparation of the Outline Planning Application, made in April 2021, we engaged with a Fire Engineer consultant to advise and provide a fire statement for the Application. We have continued this engagement with our Fire Engineer alongside revising the proposals for the scheme and have now introduced some significant enhancements to ensure further safety for the building occupants. URW has also engaged with the London Fire Brigade to ensure that our revised proposals meet their guidelines and expectations.
The revised proposals, as submitted, not only meet all required building fire safety protocols and legislation, but go above and beyond that which is currently required.
Enhanced proposals include:
- Inclusion of an additional escape stair core to the three tallest buildings
- Pressurised staircases
- Evacuation Lifts
- Split corridors individually vented
- Mitigation measures already captured within the outline design also include fire sprinklers throughout the building, corridor smoke ventilation, wet fire mains for the fire service, firefighting lifts and the use of non-combustible materials in the external walls and facades.
The fire safety and mitigation measures which are captured within the outline design and the updated Fire Statement will continue to be developed as the proposal progresses into a more detailed design stage.