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29 October 2018

VII. Placemaking: Battersea Square Mews

Placemaking – Battersea Square Mews

Typology: Community

Completion: 2015

Size: 18,000sqft

Client: Chameleon London

Battersea Square Mews was a long time in the making, spanning 2 owners, 4 years and 6 offices as we grew. Originally conceived as a simple upcycling exercise of an existing pre-war office building, it quickly grew in size to a new mews development and mixed-use apartment / retail development fronting on to the main square.

What was significant for us was the opportunity to rethink what a ‘mews house’ could be, what it looks like and how it works for the end user. The site itself had some very significant restrictions in terms of light, views and orientation, as such the final design had to be bold and innovative to overcome these challenges.

Externally the mews itself reads as a folded continuous terrace, with carved out recesses to bring light deep into the plan. The rhythmic compression of the façade through the deep reveals acts to break down the volume and brick massing of the mews.

Internally, each layout varies, exploiting its specific position and orientation. Every space within the houses works hard in both orientation and form to maximise natural daylight, which on a constrained urban site created opportunities for unique spatial relations that are not present in typical mews developments.

Despite a challenging and complex build, the new mews and apartment development has not only helped to define and strengthen an existing neighbourhood on Battersea Square but also helped TCA to establish their skills in delivering new communities in London.