Mill Road
This landmark 12-storey building is in a prominent location, visible from the A406 and at the entrance to Ilford Town Centre. It comprises 56 self-contained affordable and shared equity flats, all with balconies, together with a rear amenity space, car and cycle parking facilities.
Due to its proximity to the railway and the A406, the building fenestration is designed to meet very high sound insulation standards. The scheme is also designed to achieve Eco Homes – Very Good, Lifetime Homes and Secured-by-Design.
A number of restrictions influenced the layout and design: a Thames Water Sewer running across the site which required a 3m exclusion zone around it, the 48m tall BT Mill House directly opposite and an 8m buffer zone imposed by The Environment Agency along the River Roding. The buffer zone was planted with locally native species to promote the ecological and landscape values of the river, and to provide an undisturbed refuge for wildlife.
The footprint generated by the site called for an architectural design which reacted to its surroundings in scale, mass and materials. The design of all the elevations has been given equal importance with a careful use of clean white render, timber cladding, and dark grey bricks providing a sense of solidity and expressing the verticality of the buildings.