Alchemi Group has secured planning approval for its residentially led, mixed use tower development at 12-20 Wyvil Road, Vauxhall.
The newly approved project, designed by Stiff + Trevillion, will provide 255 new private apartments with thoughtful residential amenities including a fully equipped gym, swimming pool, sauna, residents club room and parking facilities all within a 36 storey main tower. There are two further separate buildings including an 8 storey apartment block offering 23 rentable affordable homes and 12,000 sqft of grade A office space. The ground floor will house a further 3,600 sqft of retail space. Lushly landscaped spaces have been created for the enjoyment of public realm, residents and office users including two private rooftop terraces on the 1st and 6th floors.
Alchemi’s brief to Stiff + Trevillion was to do the opposite of its previous incarnation – a glass and steel consented development which became lost amongst many of the neighbouring buildings. They were encouraged to create a tower that can stand on its own and has a timeless feel due to the craftsmanship of the external material and colour.
The simple classic form of the main tower uses continuous vertical piers and glazed terracotta panels to create substance and rhythm, whilst the brick façades of the lower buildings add tonality and distinction, as well as saluting the long history of the pottery trade in Lambeth.
The development is located on the south east corner of Vauxhall’s new tall building cluster – yards away from the newly opened Sainsbury’s and is two minutes walk from the new Nine Elms tube station due to open in 2020.
Lance Routh, Architect, Stiff + Trevillion, said:
“When Alchemi bought this site they challenged us to radically reappraise the original consent. We wanted to create a piece of city, centred on a new public space with a mix of uses that will contribute to making this new residential quarter a vibrant part of London. Alchemi encouraged us to design a sophisticated high quality building that will stand out from its neighbours. We sought inspiration from the wave of recent residential developments in Manhattan; this is manifested in the finely crafted bespoke glazed ceramic elevations to the tower.”
Charlie Baxter, Managing Director and co–founder of Alchemi Group, commented:
"We are thrilled that we have secured planning consent on our revised design for 12-20 Wyvil Road and to be a significant part of the £15 billion transformation of Vauxhall and Nine Elms. The largest regeneration project in UK. Working closely with the local community and authority we saw an opportunity to create a development for people to enjoy and be proud to live in. We intend for this development to have a character of its own and provide highly designed, inspiring amenity and private residential spaces. We’re also pleased about the timing of this consent. Our development will be completed when the majority of construction and infrastructure will be in place, meaning that our development will be one of the last destinations in the area to be able to live.”
Co-founder and Creative Director at Alchemi Group & Studio L, London, Laura Marino said:
“After working with Stiff + Trevillion on numerous projects, I felt that collaborating on this project was a natural progression of our simultaneous design trajectory and growth. I also felt it was very important that, aesthetically speaking, there was a design language already established because I knew that asking an architect to design a 36 storey tower out of green glazed terracotta would take confidence and willing. We’re grateful to Lambeth Council to have granted this consent and we will continue to work diligently on every detail of this project so by the time it’s completed, they can be proud that they gave us the green light!”
Alchemi, acting as Development Manager, acquired the site in late 2015 with an existing planning consent for a 36 storey tower comprising of 305,000 sqft and accommodating 175 private residential apartments. Alchemi decided to redesign the site and go back to planning and as a result, have increased the private apartment net saleable area by 62%. Now that the consent has been achieved, the project will start on site in May 2017 with a provisional completion date of late 2020.