60-62 Chalk Farm Road

London / England / 2006-Ongoing

New-build development comprising of residential, retail and studios 

Client: Private client  

Net Area: 2,500 m2

Structural Engineers: Buro Happold

The existing premises at No. 62 Chalk Farm Rd have been occupied by Ron Arad’s studios since 1988. The proposed development creates a new purpose built building for Ron Arad studios at the rear of the site with a separate 5-storey mixed use luxury residential and shop /café building at the front on Chalk Farm Road. The residential building is constructed from a series of modular stacked bands, arranged in two interlocking helical geometries. On such a narrow site, with neighbouring buildings restricting possibilities for glazing to the side facades, the design challenge was always to find ways of lighting the internal spaces with minimal reliance on day-lighting from the sides. Each stack is offset from the level below to allow light to penetrate and to provide shading on the south facing elevation. The bands are fabricated from a glass reinforced concrete clad steel frame which acts as structural support to the free spanning apartment floors.    

The building stacks to one side in order to provide an access route to the studio behind and also to lean back from the main road, minimising its impact on the sensitive street views in the context of the Roundhouse and Stables Market. A landscaped courtyard separates the studio from the apartment building. There is a minimal opportunity to create outward looking facades in the studio building, which is therefore arranged in a U shaped plan overlooking an external courtyard with stepped external terraces at each level.