duncan house, stratford

Duncan House is a mixed use development consisting 511 student bedrooms for the University of London in newly named Eleanor Rosa House and 45 residential apartments in Atelier Point; 22 of which are affordable, including 11 shared ownership apartments and 11 for social rent. The remaining 23 apartments are for sale on the open market.  Uses also include affordable commercial space and education accommodation with functions distributed between a 31 storey tower and a podium base and arranged to avoid overlooking or privacy issues between uses.  This diverse range of accommodation creates a truly mixed use development, in what is a vibrant and active area of London.

The human scaled podium block defines the street edge and responds to the lower rise buildings surrounding the site.  The podium’s orthogonal arrangement within a trapezoidal shaped site allows a significant piece of public realm to be formed at the junction of High Street with Lett Road. A central private courtyard punctuates the podium allowing natural light and ventilation to the internal spaces, and in turn affords a calm respite at the heart of the development away from the intensity of its surroundings. The podium rises incrementally to 9 storeys adjacent to the residences to the south of Ward Road, generating an architectural dialogue between buildings on both sides of the street. Private roof gardens / amenity spaces for students and residents are provided on the podium roof. The tower sits on the east corner of the podium, land marking a gateway to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. The cruciform arrangement of the tower fragments its architectural form, with the four wings stepping upwards in a spiral towards the pinnacle. The composition engages with its context, both near and far, whilst affording an elegant silhouette against the sky.