Gbolade Design Studio worked on the Grahame Park estate regeneration in Barnet, London, for Notting Hill Genesis in partnership with Barnet Council. The masterplan provided 2,088 new homes across the 13.3-hectare site. We were part of a wider collaborative team led by Patel Taylor.

A new high street was proposed to stitch the design into its surrounding neighbourhoods, with sustainable and active travel routes connecting new ancillary facilities, including a community centre, flexible workspaces for local businesses, cafés and restaurants, a nursery, and shops. Gbolade Design Studio led the design of the townhouses, responding sensitively to the characterful historic setting on one side, while addressing newly landscaped gardens connected by a podium on the other.

A saw-edge profile to the terraces was proposed to support natural surveillance. This modern interpretation of the traditional Victorian ‘bay’ window enhanced the streetscape and increased the attractiveness and depth of the Woodland Walk Street elevation. In adopting principles of the ‘feminist city’, it was recognised that the silent majority—women and children—undertook the greatest proportion of walking to nearby destinations, made greater use of public transport, and engaged in more varied daily activities such as shared play.