Charlton and Albany Housing


KLA worked as part of a multidisciplinary team, led by Henley Hale Brown, on the Stage 1 masterplan and Stage 2 design development for a new carbon neutral housing development in Brentford. The landscape concept was to create green rooms for play, overlapping uses such as suds with playful urban realm and reinforcing the site’s Thames side ecology.
KLA worked as part of a multidisciplinary team, led by Henley Halebrown, on the Stage 1 masterplan and stage 2 design development for a new cardon neutral housing development in Brentford. The landscape concept was to create green rooms for play, overlapping uses such as suds with playful urban realm and reinforcing the site’s Thames side ecology. Reinforcing the Urban Grain - The site’s historic land uses show the relationship between river and fields, and the role that our site had in this market garden landscape. Our site was a series of narrow residential streets that orientated north south and supported this movement between the river and the fields beyond. This idea of the land being a place of interchange between market gardens and productive river is an interesting theme for the project. Creating an Urban Realm of courtyards, linear routes and roof gardens - The creation of a continuous urban realm of squares, linear routes and roof gardens creates a safe environment for children to play and for residents to relax and move through. It also allows residents from adjacent streets to use the routes North South to the High Street, encouraging increased surveillance of the urban realm from passers by and supporting more integration into its neighbourhood. Roof gardens although not at ground level have mounds above roof level, making them visible as green destinations when viewed from other parts of the public realm. A Productive Landscape - Remembering Brentford’s past as a Market Garden with Orchards and fruit growing. Extending the Thames Ecology - Looking at ways to reinforce the sites special Thames side location and its potential for ecology to migrate into the whole local area and support peoples everyday experience of ecology is an exciting opportunity. Hard working landscape - The density of development and need for both play and green space as well as an activated urban realm with front doors and movement requires the urban realm to work hard to support overlapping needs. Natural play that is cross generational and non prescriptive - The concept of a varied terrain and landform supports the urban realm and green spaces being intrinsically playful to all ages regardless of age. This terrain is overlaid with play objects which then activate this further. These play objects are ambiguous so that children or adults can interpret them as they wish.

2021–2021
london borough of brentford

Client

London Borough of Houndslow

Architect

Henley Hale Brown

Ecologist

BSG Ecology



Charlton and Albany Housing
KLA worked as part of a multidisciplinary team, led by Henley Hale Brown, on the Stage 1 masterplan and Stage 2 design development for a new carbon neutral housing development in Brentford. The landscape concept was to create green rooms for play, overlapping uses such as suds with playful urban realm and reinforcing the site’s Thames side ecology.
Kinnear Landscape Architects
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