Marshgate Lane ← Works ← Henley Halebrown

Marshgate Lane London 2023–

14 Marshgate Lane combines flats and studio apartments for students with studios for artists.

The ‘New Road’ elevation is a composite of three similarly proportioned, primary blocks, stitched together by two connecting elements.

One, a 3-storey element above the cycle entrance, with its tower, hints at something civic. This architectural fragment – a reference to Hans Döllgast’s 1957 reconstruction of the Alte Pinakothek – is faced in a rough textured brick that keys into the elevations either side with the ‘frayed edges’ of a ruin.

The window scale and proportions establish a comfortable balance of solid and void across the facades, allowing the three blocks to hold a regular fenestration pattern. Windows are placed more freely at corners, which gives relief to the grid.

The intention is to make a façade whose construction is self-evident, where conventional building elements are enjoyed for their latent potential.

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The long 'New Road' elevation is treated as a composite of three similarly proportioned, primary blocks, interwoven by two distinct joining pieces
A pair of arches and a vaulted porch on the corner of Marshgate Lane mark the main entrance. The solidity of the chamfer above marks the corner in a manner that is typical of historic corner buildings
Site plan: Located close to the Queen Elizabeth Park in East London, its alphabet plan – an ‘E’ – forms one half of a new urban block and its 100-metre-long elevation frames one side of a new street linking Marshgate Lane to the City Mill River
The base of the building is both monumental and crafted, with the artists’ shopfronts detailed in timber
Sectional elevation
Ground floor plan: The ten artist studios will enliven much of the ground floor frontage, along with the communal entrances to the apartments above, and a variety of communal spaces for students.
The ground floor treatment follows the logic of brick construction, distinguishing between student entrances and artist studios with two methods of forming openings in a wall
A beam and columns indicate an artist’s studio entrance, whereas an arch denotes a student entrance
The three parts are stitched together by two connecting elements. The first, set back from the building line, pairs the windows to two kitchen-dining-living rooms. The second, a 3-storey element above the cycle entrance, with its tower, hints at something civic
Sixth floor plan: The building will accommodate more than 300 residents in 33 flats and a number of studio apartments
The buttressed east and west elevations appear to be shoring up the entire structure. The depth and shadow of the buttresses gives weight to the whole
The buttressed east and west elevations appear to be shoring up the entire structure. The depth and shadow of the buttresses gives weight to the whole
A second pair of vaults on the long elevation – one outdoor, the other indoor – provide, respectively, a cycle entrance and a communal space for artists and residents to share.
Two kinds of brick bring variety through textural difference and structural precast elements are used only for sills and lintels, minimising the embodied carbon in the façade. This not only gives the building a distinct character but also ensures robust details
Communal student spaces - reception and foyer, lounges, workspace, meeting rooms, and a gym - punctuate the street and riverside frontages as well as the courtyards to the rear
In addition to the ground floor outside spaces, the stepped silhouette of the building creates second, third and fourth floor roof gardens and terraces
Worm eye's view

architects Henley Halebrown

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Technical