en.Wedoany.com Reported - Metropolitan Workshop has completed an infill development at the Bellingham Estate in Lewisham, London, designing 24 homes for Phoenix Community Housing. The project, covering 1,970 square metres, was built to the Passivhaus Low Energy Building Standard, aiming to support the affordable housing targets of the London Borough of Lewisham and the Mayor of London, while reducing residents' energy costs.
The original site, a two-storey terraced building, was demolished to make way for 18 two- and three-bedroom homes (at London Affordable Rent) and six two- and three-bedroom shared ownership homes. Phoenix Community Housing is a non-profit, resident-led housing association managing over 7,700 homes and operating its own repairs company, dedicated to improving local housing conditions.
The development is located within the Bellingham Estate, a garden city-style estate designed by the London County Council after World War I, influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement. The new homes draw inspiration from the surrounding context, including two gatehouse buildings that frame the entrance to a larger apartment block at the rear of the site. A central passageway from Farmstead Road runs through a shared courtyard, leading to a covered walkway flanked by lift and stair towers with recessed brickwork. The front three-storey homes integrate into the existing streetscape, with their frontage and scale resembling low-rise terraced houses, and brick detailing referencing the corner and end buildings found throughout Bellingham. The larger apartment block features a symmetrical butterfly shape, curving to align with the estate's geometry, with a staggered plan ensuring inward orientation while minimising direct overlooking of neighbouring properties. Orange is used extensively in metal detailing, such as mansard roofs and fan-shaped railings, echoing the form of nearby villa apartments and local brick arches.
Metropolitan Workshop was commissioned for the scheme through a competition in 2018 and received planning permission from Lewisham Council in July 2022. In 2024, the practice was approved to advance another housing scheme in Lewisham, replacing a hostel with 64 affordable homes.
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