London’s Lewisham Council has unveiled plans to build a temporary housing block on the site of the former Ladywell Leisure Centre, which would then be dismantled and rebuilt elsewhere in the borough.
The council has this month officially appointed Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners to design the scheme, although the practice had been discussing the project with the council for some months.
RHSP is already working in Mithcam, south west London, on a similar modular offsite concept called Y:Cube homes.
Described by Lewisham as “the UK’s first ever ‘pop-up’ village”, the £4.3m development will be constructed from prefabricated factory-made components and will be fully demountable.
Consisting of 24 homes and eight business units, the development will occupy the site “for no more than four years” while plans for the long-term development of the site are made.
Elevation West, Lewisham High Street
Designed by RSHP the scheme will be built using a timber-framed prefabricated system with each apartment being delivered to the site in two parts by lorry.
This construction method allows buildings to be constructed faster and cheaper than if traditional methods are used.
A contractor for the project is yet to be appointed, but it’s thought likely that Insulshell, the firm behind the Y:Cube housing for the YMCA in Mitcham, will be a frontrunner.
The Insulshell system has been developed by Sheffield Insulations Group and Coxbench.
The first residential units for the Lewisham scheme could be available in the summer, with a public consultation currently underway and the project due to be submitted for planning approval at the end of January.
Ground floor plan (above), first floor (below)
Sir Steve Bullock, mayor of Lewisham, said: “This scheme may offer a solution to an all too common problem that plagues many development sites, which often sit unused while complex regeneration plans are put together.
“When we have thousands of people on our housing waiting list and are paying out for expensive bed and breakfast stays that is a terrible waste. We are also showing with this partnership with Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners that we can achieve real quality and value for money.”
Ivan Harbour, partner at Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, said: “We are very excited to be working with Lewisham Council on the Ladywell site, which we believe offers a blueprint to meet a wide range of urban housing needs. By delivering well-designed, flexible and sustainable accommodation using a quick and cost-effective volumetric technology, we hope to change the way we think about house building in the future.”
Typical layout
