One Putney
London
CONTEXT
A mixed-use project on Putney High Street in London, commissioned by a private developer to replace a low-rise commercial building from the late 1930’s with residential units and ground-floor retail. The site occupies a transitional point between a dense arterial corridor and a quieter residential enclave, prompting questions of scale, alignment, and architectural presence within an increasingly fragmented streetscape.
DESIGN INTENT
The studio developed a formal language that negotiates the tension between civic frontage and domestic grain. Working through massing studies and site geometry, the scheme introduces a continuous horizontal rhythm that wraps the corner, while stepping down at the rear to reflect the scale of neighbouring terraces. Material choices reinforce this duality, calibrated to address the street while remaining grounded and precise.
RESOLUTION AND OUTCOME
Completed in 2019, the six-storey scheme contains 15 apartments, a shared rooftop terrace, and two levels of retail. The façade is constructed from rhythmically jointed precast concrete panels, fabricated off-site to support build speed, accuracy, and long-term durability. Curved corners soften the junction with Montserrat Road, while stepped rear volumes maintain consistency with the surrounding residential scale. The result is an architecture of control and clarity, composed, tactile, and spatially resolved.
