St. Mary’s Island Masterplan Chatham 2001–

The scheme creates over 400 homes around a Victorian dry dock at the old Royal Naval Dockyard, Chatham. The working title ‘From Table to Basin’ denotes a masterplan for social spaces from the domestic kitchen table to the civic dry dock.

Image 1

  • 0104_3D_Jpegs_N4.jpg
    Aerial drawing shows a scheme laid out in terraces around the basin in an intelligible manner
  • 0104_Sketches_N3.jpg
    Initial sketch of masterplan
  • 0104_Drawings_Jpegs_N2.jpg
    The pattern of terraced streets is bisected by a diagonal road and a park at the head of the basin which links the new homes to the wider neighbourhood
  • 0104_Drawings_Tiffs_N8.jpg
    Analysis by Space Syntax demonstrated the scheme’s logic
  • 0104_Drawings_Tiffs_N2.jpg
    Plan of house types: the scheme addresses a variety of lifestyles
  • 0104.jpg
    “Dock Houses” overlooking the original dry dock
  • 0104_3D_Tiffs_N7.jpg
    “Facehouse” gardens: fronts face fronts, backs face backs with interchangeable house types within urban blocks
  • 0104_N6.jpg
    Sectional perspective of the “Yard House” showing its ground floor kitchen dining opening onto the mews & first floor living room & courtyard garden above

Technical

  • Appointment: 2001
  • Area: 6.8 hectaresm2
  • Client: Countryside Properties & South East England Development Agencies
  • : Competition, First Place

Bibliography

  • ‘Housing Plan in St. Mary’s Island’, in: a+t (2002), pp.54–61
  • Jeremy Melvin, ‘Home Grown’, in: The Architects’ Journal (7 November 2002), p.48
  • Kester Rattenbury, ‘House of Fun’, in: Building Design (25 October 2002), pp.14–15
  • David Taylor, ‘South East Agency has new Designs on Quality with CABE’, in: The Architects’ Journal (21 March 2002), p.10
  • ‘From Table to Basin: St Mary’s Island’, in: arq (2001), pp.229–247
Top ↑