David Chipperfield architects: One Kensington Gardens, London; 2010-2015
The One Kensington Gardens residential development in London is located on a prominent site facing Kensington Gardens, bounded by Victoria Road and De Vere Gardens. The project comprises 97 high-quality residential units and includes the internal reorganisation of the existing site and three new buildings facing Kensington Road, Victoria Road, and Canning Passage respectively. It also involves the reuse and incorporation of the nineteenth-century terraced house façades along Victoria Road and De Vere Gardens, which sit within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea’s De Vere Gardens Conservation Area.
The new buildings on Kensington Road and Victoria Road are formed of a post-tensioned reinforced concrete structure. The Kensington Road building is clad in handset Portland stone at ground level and each floor above is defined by a thin band of Portland stone referencing the strong horizontal lines in the surrounding traditional façades. The elevations are finished with solid bronze balustrades and window framing to all balconies. As the new building on Kensington Road turns away from Hyde Park, the rhythm of the columns change to break up the street elevation into a more varied series of façades, culminating in the rhythm of the interlocking precast elements of the new Victoria Road building.
At the centre of the development are a series of internal courtyards, clad in a matte glazed white brick. Whilst not publicly accessible, they provide the surrounding apartments with natural light and a visual connection to a considered landscape design.
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