2 August 2022 · By Fran Williams. Photography by French & Tye

The project has developed an awkward site, creating three two and three-bed homes as well as refurbishing a former end-of-terrace shop to create another home

Located between terraced homes and the edge of Wanstead Flats in London’s Newham, Dallas-Pierce-Quintero’s Forest Houses revitalise an awkward brownfield plot, once a builder’s yard, with three new two and three-bed homes. The scheme also includes the refurbishment and extension of a former end-of-terrace shop at the site’s entrance to create another one-bed home.

Following a number of failed regeneration attempts, the client’s brief sought to maximise the potential of this underused infill plot and deliver a site-specific solution that respected neighbouring properties.

Our approach is based on ‘upside-down’ living – moving bedrooms to the ground floor and positioning living spaces on the projecting first floor. This simple rearrangement gives the much-used living area plentiful daylight and views over Wanstead Flats, creating a strong relationship between inside and out, and offers a more secluded feel to the bedrooms beneath.

Tucked into the furthermost corner of the site, the homes’ layouts are interlocked around a series of lightwells and private courtyards. These draw natural light deep within the floorplan, creating a sense that all routes are connected to the outside. The homes are purposely orientated north, to reduce overlooking for neighbours and feature a distinct, sawtooth roof profile – a nod to the site’s industrial heritage. Jonathan Dallas, co-founder, Dallas-Pierce-Quintero

Start on site September 2019 Completion January 2022 Gross internal floor area 330m2 Construction cost £1.1 million Construction cost per m2 £3,000 Architect Dallas-Pierce-Quintero Client Private Structural engineer Fold Quantity surveyor Andrew D Smith Principal designer Dallas-Pierce-Quintero Approved building inspector MLM Main contractor BATS Ilford Building control MLM Planning consultant Murdoch Associates Landscaping consultant Tim Moya Associates Right of light surveyor Right of Light Consulting Arboricultural consultant Charles McCorkell Arboricultural Consultancy Sustainability consultant Kent Sustainability Contamination surveyor Stansted Environmental Services CAD software used Vectorworks Predicted design life 50 years

From the outset we wanted a minimal material palette for this project, which focused on being robust, long-lasting and sustainable. Light-coloured brickwork and profiled metal sheets form the primary materials to give a simple and seamless exterior appearance. To carry this vision throughout the project, we wanted a high-performance window and door system with slim, attractive profiling. Made from aluminium and timber, the dark finishes on the windows and doors complement the refined exterior and frame the views of the grassland of Wanstead Flats. For the large, north-facing openings we adapted the Velfac sliding door system to maximise natural light and ventilation. Jonathan Dallas, co-founder, Dallas-Pierce-Quintero

Brick and metal feature as the primary elements of a robust, long-lasting and easy to maintain material palette, which helps to develop a site-specific architectural language. Light-coloured brickwork wraps around the boundary wall, ground floor spaces and courtyards to create a ‘plinth’. Permeable ‘hit and miss’ detailing features in both the private courtyards and lightwells, adding texture and softness.

Perching above, the lightweight first floor volumes are all clad in profiled metal sheets, resulting in a highly textured and seamless external envelope, that flows between walls and roofs. Within, structural elements are left tactile and unfinished - white, fair-faced blockwork is complemented by exposed CLT wall panels on the upper floors.

Celebrating simplicity in materials and innovation in construction, this low-tech yet super-insulated project fuses traditional and modern methods of construction to create a truly sustainable and efficient-to-run home. The masonry construction at the base of the project lends itself to the irregular shape of the site and complex floor plan. Once constructed, the first-floor ‘pods’ were then delivered as CLT panels and assembled in less than 5 days. Large window openings feature throughout but are carefully balanced with the highly-insulated building shell, to optimise thermal comfort. All materials were responsibly sourced and chosen for their longevity, recycling capabilities and ability to provide a healthy, toxin-free home. Jonathan Dallas, co-founder, Dallas-Pierce-Quintero

Front door Velfac 1448 x 2233mm Ribo alu 2 Umbra Grey (aluminium externally), Pure White (timber internally) Veneered Door leaf Entrance door of new-build units velfac.co.uk

Patio door Velfac 1776 x 2233mm Ribo alu 2 Umbra Grey (aluminium externally)/Pure White (timber internally) Veneered Door leaf Patio doors to bedrooms and corridors velfac.co.uk

Windows Velfac 1776 x 1561mm Velfac 200i Anthracite (aluminium externally)/Pure White (timber internally) Unit 3 entrance courtyard 2798 x 633mm Velfac 200 Umbra Grey (aluminium externally)/Pure White (timber internally) High-level window in unit 1 rear extension velfac.co.uk

Sliding casement door Velfac 2726 x 2175mm  Velfac 200 Energy. Umbra Grey (aluminium externally)/Pure White (timber internally) North-facing window set of kitchen/living/dining in units 2, 3 and 4 velfac.co.uk

Tags Dallas Pierce Quintero doors and windows Forest Gate

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