Ye Olde Clock Tower  

Client: Private

Location: London Borough of Cro

Sector: Residential

The Client

This project was developed in collaboration with a longstanding client—a South London-based developer specialising in conversions and infill sites. Over the course of multiple projects, we have built a strong working relationship, fostering a deep understanding of their requirements and priorities. This partnership enables us to thoughtfully balance design with commercial viability, pushing the boundaries of the brief to deliver optimal results.

The Site

The clients had purchased an old public house in Croydon which had already received planning to retain the pub and extend the upper floors to create a mixed-use development. This planning approval was voided, and we were given the opportunity to create a new application using the previously approved as a guide. 

Brief

The previous application and planning history provided a detailed list of constraints to work too which was helpful but also quite limiting. In order to make the scheme financially viable we also had to increase the size or number of units previously approved. The revised scheme also had to retain a public house on the ground floor. Since the original approval there had also been several changes in requirements including that of amenity spaces, cycle storage and also bin store which meant further adjustments to an already tight floor plan.

Street view showing a mix of old and modern buildings with shops on the ground floor and pedestrians walking on the sidewalk. Cars are parked along the street under a cloudy sky.
Street view showing the YMCA Olde Clock Tower building with large windows and a green facade, in rainy weather with pedestrians holding umbrellas, parked cars, and traffic lights.
A modern kitchen with a marble island, a vase of flowers, a wooden dining table with chairs, and a large window with sunlight shining in.
People walking past Ye Olde Clock Tower storefront on a rainy day
Living room with large windows, beige sectional sofa, wooden dining table with chairs, pendant light, and city street view through sheer curtains.

Approach

A detailed character appraisal of the area was carried out and from this study there was a wonderful catalogue of Victorian properties in the immediate area and many of these in the form of public houses. We were able to take reference from these traditional facades and ordered fenestration patterns as well as their simple material palettes.

Design

 It was felt that the original scheme was disjointed as it had to add on a residential flatted scheme to a very dated and public house which was of very little architectural merit. The approach was taken to carry out an appraisal on the local architectural character and try and establish a design language to help inform our proposal. We developed the concept of implementing an urban grain which we used to divide the site into masses. These masses were of a scale more fitting with the surrounding context as the previous scheme felt very heavy and out of place. A rhythm for the fenestration was the created in order to further make the masses feel more residential instead of commercial. The design steps the height in order to respond to the context.

 

The pub itself we wanted to make it feel timeless yet contemporary and it was decided to design a timber clad wrap around façade to outline the pub at the base of the scheme.

A brick recessed shadow gap detail was used to create a visible separation between the massing which allowed the overall scheme to be read as smaller elements rather than a large corner plot. Further recessed brick work below the large windows to the flats also created further depth to the facades. To keep the facades as minimal as possible large floor to celing windows were proposed with a side inward opening panel which sat behind a perforated metal screen. This allowed for essential ventilation to the flats but provided a large picture frame window.  

 

Design features such as brick pilasters with pronounced fins frame the fenestration to the proposed public house on the ground floor which references the traditional pub vernacular. A glazed fluted tile detail has been designed to reference the traditional stallriser providing a visual contrast and relief to the elevation. Signage has been incorporated within the design to define the public house.

 

The finish is to be of a contemporary lighter brick to reference the Victorian aesthetic. The public house is to be timber with a subtle green finish which again gives a nod to the traditional colours used in pub frontages which is still visible in the area.

A 3D digital rendering of a modern multi-story building with a flat roof, located in an urban area with neighboring buildings and streets. The image uses pink outlines on a light pink background.