296 Farnborough Road, Farnborough Hants, GU14 7NU
Description of the Project
This scheme represents a highly sustainable approach to re-using redundant buildings whilst at the same time providing a greater density of high-quality residential accommodation, all laid out around extensive new landscaping. The scheme addresses Farnborough’s growing importance as a regional centre outside London.
The site is located in central Farnborough. It is bordered to the north by the South Western Main Railway Line and to the south by Jubilee Hall Road. The site has good transport links and is within 5 minutes’ walk of Farnborough (Main) Railway Station, which has a direct service to London Waterloo Station taking around 35 minutes. Road access is good with the site being in close proximity to Junction 4 of the M3, leading directly to the M25 and Central London. The site is situated within a ten-minute walk of Farnborough Town Centre, with good access to buses routes.
The development consists of the extension and conversion of the existing office building and the erection of a six-storey new build block to the rear, the whole comprising a total of 145 no. apartments, together with surface and basement parking, and extensive landscaping. The accommodation provided consists of 88 no. 1-bed, 51 no. 2-beds and 6 no. 3-bed apartments.
The site area is approximately 4450 sq m, and the existing building footprint is 1160 sq m. The existing 1970s office building is L-shaped, with pedestrian access from Farnborough Road, and parking on a lower level of the site.
The existing ‘L’ shaped building is extended along the west, east and north sides to create additional floor space, to assist with the laying out of apartments within the building. A new, smaller ‘L’ shaped block is added in the north-east quadrant of the site, thereby forming a new landscaped courtyard at ground floor level between the two ‘L’s, with undercroft parking. This external garden space provides a tranquil, protected and private focus for the new development.
A new floor is added to the existing building, and the new height created is reciprocated in the new building.
Every apartment has its own external amenity space in the form of balconies and terraces. The creation of an additional 3.2m of space (plus the winter gardens) along the western (main road) side of the existing building provides a new contemporary architectural identity for the development, on the most prominent frontage. A new formal rhythm is established to break the existing monolithic façade, via a sequence of five projecting bays – three of them narrow and two of them wide. They allow the creation of Winter Gardens to each apartment, providing a flexible open-closed space that can be used in different ways throughout the year.
The new materials introduced include highly insulated render, bronze panels, Thermowood timber panelling and structural glass.
