Grasmere Road

Located in South Norwood, Croydon, this back-land development for Brick By Brick will deliver 9 affordable new homes on an under-used garage site. Set behind an existing 3-storey, post-war block owned by the local-authority the development will revitalise the existing outdoor space to create a better and more convivial place to live for all residents.

The new accommodation is arranged as a 3-storey, linear block set parallel to the existing homes. This arrangement creates a new, shared green space between the buildings that will help activate the centre of the estate, benefitting both the new and current residents that live there. New and existing ground-floor homes are accessed off this new amenity, creating an active and social space.

The primary elevations and habitable rooms to the new homes face south and look out over the new common space. The deep inset entrances and the balconies to the upper floors, provide defensible space and help define a sense of privacy, enclosure and solar shading to each new home. Access to the upper floor flats is via deck-access from the rear.

The facades playfully extract and mimic some of the detailed architectural elements of the neighbouring properties. The new elevations comprise red brick detailing, thick windowsills and semi-arched openings to announce the entrance to each home. Two, semi-arched entrances denote the entrance to the shared stair core.