Emerging from the vibrant architectural landscape of Crystal Palace, London, Gbolade Design Studio has reached a significant milestone with the completion of Hermitage Mews, a development of eight high-quality townhouses. This project, the studio's most ambitious sustainability endeavour to date, aligns with the RIBA 2030 Climate Challenge to become a Net Zero development; demonstrating the potential of SME developers to drive impactful, environmentally conscious small site development in the capital.
Hermitage Mews features a mix of three and four-bedroom terraced and semi-detached houses on a challenging, narrow, and sloping plot along the car-dominated Beulah Hill. The homes, characterised by their sawtooth roofline and split-level floor plans, offer both privacy and harmony with the urban surroundings. Front gardens addressing Beulah Hill enhance the development's aesthetic and environmental appeal, creating beautiful, energy-efficient living spaces that reflect our commitment to sustainable and regenerative design and development.
Initially conceived by Nissan Richard’s Architects, Gbolade Design Studio took over during the COVID-19 lockdown, reimagining the design to future-proof the homes to accommodate new preferences, including remote work and home schooling. The homes are designed to be adaptable spaces, featuring a Living Room or Home Office alongside a combined Dining/Kitchen area with a study nook, optimised for extended occupant use and enhanced acoustics to buffer noise pollution from Beulah Hill through triple-glazed windows, making the homes incredibly quiet.
Addressing the site’s complex topography, with a nearly two-meter drop from front to rear, the architectural design leverages the level difference to create split-level interiors. These design choices result in voluminous, light-filled spaces that feel larger than their actual dimensions, enhancing the overall spatial quality of the homes. Split levels visually connect separate living and kitchen/dining areas, fostering both formal and incidental family interactions. Natural light is drawn deep into the floor plans through carefully placed roof lights, while double and triple-height spaces offer residents unique experiences, such as dining under the stars!
Central to Hermitage Mews is a focus on sustainability, targeting the RIBA 2030 Climate Challenge from the outset. The project employs a fabric-first approach with an impressive average U-value of 0.10W/m2K to reduce the operational energy required to run the homes, utilising timber construction, glulam beams, and woodfibre insulation to minimise embodied carbon. The homes are fossil-fuel free, with heating and hot water provided by Air Source Heat Pumps. Solar PV panels are installed on roofs, and a robust ventilation strategy (installation of Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR) units) ensures low energy use and high occupant comfort levels. Existing trees have been retained on-site, with new ones planted. Green roofs and biodiversity features like hedgehog corridors further enhance the ecological value of the development. Glulam and flitch beams were used in place of steel wherever possible, and the building layout was revised to streamline the grid structure, reducing the overall weight of the building and thus minimising the amount of concrete needed for the foundations.
Before construction, an RIBA Sustainability Output Report conducted by MEPH consultants which measured an Operational Energy requirement of 34kWh/m2/yr and an Embodied Carbon figure of 437kgCO2e/m2 for the homes; both outperforming the RIBA 2030 target. As Hermitage Mews prepares to welcome its new homeowners, Gbolade Design Studio plans to undertake a 5-year Post-Occupancy Evaluation (POE) to gather occupant feedback and environmental performance data to inform future design decisions and enhance building performance.
The exterior of the homes features multi-coloured hand-moulded clay-facing bricks (Azalea, Vandersanden). This multi-shade red/pink/beige brick with a sanded-coated finish brings texture and character to the new builds, which sit within the context of existing deep red-brick neighbouring buildings. The façade also includes horizontal bands of projecting recessed brickwork detail, adding depth and interest.
Despite significant challenges, including the tragic passing of the initial client, which halted progress for over a year, our practice persevered. The project was transferred to a new developer, and the studio continued its commitment to completing the works in honour of the original vision and in alignment with the new client’s ambitions.
