Gordon Shrigley wins approval for small but ‘monumental’ Streatham Hill housing

Architect’s view

Any new building proposed to replace a series of existing Victorian kiosks, precariously positioned beside a deep railway cutting, must acknowledge what came before – the historic footprint, the rhythm of the street and the texture of the surrounding architecture.

This is not only a question of massing, but also of how light falls, how the façade meets the pavement, how it turns the corner, and how it engages with sound. The site is defined by the constant presence of a busy road and the vibration of passing trains; any new dwellings must respond to these conditions as carefully as they respond to space.

Working with Fuller Long heritage consultants, we sought to understand these tensions. On one side lies the intensity of the high street – pavements, shopfronts and passing pedestrians.

On the other, the measured incision of the railway: a 6m-deep cutting carrying a steady rhythm of trains and a contained, latent energy. The design mediates between these conditions. It reflects the historic divisions of the plot while allowing the architecture to move lightly through them. One façade is restrained and engages gently with the street; the other is more robust and monumental, glimpsed fleetingly by passengers as they travel past.

The plan traces the historic footprint, introducing a subtle degree of playfulness. The building draws inspiration from the form of train carriages – interlinked, linear elements that thread through the city. It bends, folds, and sequences spaces that vary in scale, light, and acoustic character. Thresholds become moments of pause; façades enter into dialogue. Past and present are interwoven, and movement becomes an organising principle, allowing the building to sit within its context without overwhelming it.

Here, architecture is not simply placed; it moves, listens and responds, occupying the city as lightly and deliberately as the trains it references.