This snapshot taken on 18/01/2011, shows web content selected for preservation by The National Archives. External links, forms and search boxes may not work in archived websites.

Bourbon Lane

White City, London

Evaluation

The Anglo-French approach worked well and provided a fresh attitude to the site.  The collaboration opened the whole team’s eyes to new and different ways of working.

French architects are comfortable with higher densities

Architect James Pickard noted that:

”The key French influence was the attitude towards density, family living and, in particular, the distance between buildings. After winning the competition the team, including the client and planning officers, visited a number of high density schemes in Paris that created a strong sense of community and natural surveillance without overlooking. The built project is very similar to the original competition proposals.”

The competition brief demanded a minimum number of 45 units. The architects successfully demonstrated that 78 units, at a density of 282 habitable rooms per hectare, could be provided without in any way compromising on design quality.

Client and residents both appreciate the resulting scheme

An independent residents’ survey shows very high levels of satisfaction with 98% being very or fairly satisfied.

Octavia is also happy with the results. “We are very pleased with the project in that it meets its original project objectives and especially that the scheme looks and works as originally intended,” comments John Nixon, Development Manager.

Bourbon Lane contains many key lessons

CABE published the learning from the competition process in Winning housing designs: lessons from an Anglo-French housing initiative:

  • good clients invest the time and resources in new building projects necessary to exploit the opportunities offered to full effect
  • better designs are achieved with the input of key stakeholders - they must be identified early on, and their needs understood and incorporated from the start
  • much can be learned from visiting other successful projects - new typologies were developed by drawing on the experience of the French architect and from a case study visit to Paris
  • exploring innovative techniques, including modern methods of construction, should be considered early on as a way to achieve lower life-cycle costs, higher standards and higher densities
  • involving the local planning authority at an early stage fosters a good working relationship and a smoother planning process
  • partnership workshops reinforce a collaborative approach between the client, design team and constructor
  • community consultation is essential even when the new residents are not yet known - in this case, an improvement to the design resulted from concerns made by consultees
  • through the use of an architectural competition to procure design, the initiative has exposed Octavia to a wider pool of designers.