Dalston Lane explores how a large-scale grid, applied wholeheartedly, can break down the mass and scale of a single building to something more in keeping with the surrounding disparate context. A three-storey block of 18 flats – draped in massive blue and white cheques – is set back above a glass and steel-framed retail frontage flanked by deep blue glazed-brick walls. Entrances at each end are formed by folds into the brick. Despite its boldness of pattern, the grid is more complex than first appearances might suggest, cutting across the windows to align unexpectedly with their mullions and transoms. North-facing bedrooms are expressed in the punched façade to Dalston Lane, with south-facing living and eating spaces arranged along a glazed elevation. Each flat opens onto a generously deep, full-width balcony with striking views towards the City, rising up less than a couple of miles away.

1999
Location
Hackney, London
Cost
£1.9 Million
Client
The Peabody Trust
Architect
Allford Hall Monaghan Morris
Contractor
Rooff Ltd
Structural Engineer
Campbell Reith Hill
Landscape Architects
Jonathan Watkins Landscape Architects
Cost Consultants
MDA

Allford
Hall
Monaghan
Morris