Torridon House

Torridon House transforms a former car park into 21 new social-rent homes for Westminster City Council, making better use of an underused site while responding carefully to the established neighbourhood around it.

A mix of apartments and family houses creates a more varied residential community, with private outdoor space for every home and a shared landscaped courtyard at its heart. The scheme has been shaped around the needs of existing residents and neighbours, creating much-needed homes while strengthening the character, biodiversity and everyday life of the wider estate.

The design unlocks a constrained urban site previously occupied by a 37-space surface car park and storage sheds, introducing a five-storey apartment building alongside a lower three-storey row of family houses. This variation in scale responds directly to the surrounding context: the apartment building aligns with the proportions of Dibdin House, while the houses reflect the scale of the terraces along Andover Place.

Materiality takes its cues from the neighbourhood too. Brick forms the predominant material, complemented by a standing-seam mansard roof and stone and aluminium detailing to entrances and balconies, creating a contemporary addition rooted in the area’s established architectural character and sensitive to the nearby Grade I listed Church of St Augustine.

The architecture was also carefully shaped around its neighbours. A mansard roof reduces the mass of the upper storey to maintain daylight and sunlight to surrounding homes, while window sizes and positions limit overlooking. Alongside Naima Jewish Preparatory School, the apartment building was moved away from the boundary and full-height balcony screens introduced in direct response to safeguarding and privacy concerns.

Consultation genuinely influenced the design rather than simply accompanying it. Two rounds of public exhibitions and additional stakeholder meetings involved Torridon House residents and its TMO, Dibdin House Residents’ Association, Naima Jewish Preparatory School, ward councillors and the wider community.

At the heart of Torridon House is a new shared landscaped garden between the apartments and houses, supplementing existing gardens and play space within the neighbourhood. Two new feature trees improve biodiversity and outlook, while private amenity is provided to every home through balconies, ground-floor terraces or elevated terraces to the houses.

The shared space is designed to support the community already established around Torridon and Dibdin House, giving neighbours opportunities to meet and providing a safe place for younger children to play within sight of their parents. Together with the private outdoor spaces, the approach creates different opportunities for play, interaction and everyday life while improving biodiversity.

The scheme also responds to practical considerations raised by existing residents. Replacement storage was incorporated following consultation, while 17 parking spaces are re-provided for existing users alongside two accessible spaces for new residents. Off-street cycle storage and visitor cycle parking are also included

Sustainability is embedded in both the environmental performance of the homes and the landscape around them. Efficient individual air-source heat pumps reduce carbon emissions, while careful fenestration design helps manage overheating and the urban heat-island effect. The strategy also considers water efficiency, waste reduction and recycling, sustainable material sourcing, pollution and sustainable drainage.

Photovoltaic panels are proposed across available roof space on the apartment building, maximising opportunities for on-site renewable energy generation. This is specifically identified as a key design feature of the scheme, so I think we’re safe being firmer about PVs than the general sustainability section alone would suggest.

Landscape is integral to the environmental strategy. Existing trees are retained, with new feature trees chosen for their narrow canopies and seasonal interest, alongside planting specifically designed to encourage wildlife and enhance biodiversity. Shade-tolerant evergreen and structural planting creates green buffers to ground-floor homes, supporting privacy while softening the shared courtyard.

Private outdoor space is provided to every home, alongside the central shared amenity space, while existing cycle storage is re-provided and new pathways connect entrances to nearby streets.