Shepherdess Walk London 1997–1999

The scheme adapts an early C20th industrial building to create 50 loft apartments and ground floor commercial space.

‘This conversion…conjures images of neighbourly interaction over the garden fence, five storeys above the city.’ Corinna Dean 1999

Image 1

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    Rooftop pavilions set in a garden landscape: a suburban setting on an urban building
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    The design transformed the existing courtyard
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    South facing balconies in the renovated courtyard. The courtyard floor conceals a newly excavated underground car park
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    A new lift tower links the underground car park with the street-level entrance hall and galleries on the upper floors
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    Each pavilion and garden is an extension of the penthouse apartment below
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    New lightweight construction uses known efficiencies – standard steel sections, in conjunction with a palette of Iroko, zinc and glass providing warmth, enclosure and transparency
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    A penthouse loft interior in its raw state
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    Gradually the warm timber and bright zinc have weathered and subdued
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    In the tradition of rooftop structures one material is used for walls and roofs, in this case zinc

Technical

  • Appointment: 1997
  • Construction start: 1998
  • Completion: 1999
  • Area: 10223m2
  • Budget: £4.5m
  • Form of contract: Traditional
  • Client: Manhattan Loft Corporation
  • Contractor: William Verry
  • Structural Engineer: John E Foster
  • Quantity Surveyor: BPTW Partnership
  • Landscape Architect: Freemont Landscape Architects
  • Glazing Engineer: Dewhurst MacFarlane

Bibliography

  • David Littlefield and Saskia Lewis, ‘Morphology and Matter’, in: Architectural Voices (2007), pp.72–81
  • ‘Kontext Materialu a Pameti’, in: Forum (April 2001), pp.20–25
  • Adam Jacques, ‘Adventures in Space’, in: The Independent – Property (28 April 2004), pp.2–3
  • ‘High Life’, in: The Architectural Review (January 2001), pp.72–74
  • ‘Zen Roof Terrace’, in: Elle Decoration – Deco Details (August 2000), pp.2–3
  • ‘Shepherdess Walk’, in: Quaderns (2000), pp.84–89
  • ‘The Loft Building’, in: A & T (1999), pp.82–93
  • ‘The Factory’, in: Nikkei Architecture (13 December 1999), pp.76–79
  • Corinna Dean, ‘Pastoral Bliss’, in: The Architects’ Journal (24 June 1999), pp.21–31
  • ‘Dach als Vorstadtidylle’, in: Bauwelt (30 October 1998), pp.2296–2297

Awards

  • RIBA Award, 2000
  • Crown Estates RIBA Award, (Shortlisted) 2000
  • British Archaeological Awards AIA Ironbridge Award, (Shortlisted) 2000
  • Blueprint Awards, Best Residential Building of the Year (Refurbishment), (Commendation) 2000
  • Hot Dip Galvanizing Awards, (Shortlisted) 2000
  • Guardian National Homebuilder Design, (Shortlisted) 2000
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