London Road, St Albans

The brief was to replace a dilapidated hotel on London Road, St Albans, with a new high quality residential development for market sale. Set within a predominantly residential area, the neighbouring properties are 3 and 4 storey Edwardian houses, set 20m back from the road, within large garden plots with mature planting and trees.

The new building aligns with the existing pattern of large, detached buildings along the road, maintaining the established building line and ridge height consistent with adjacent properties. The massing and scale are similar to neighbouring houses, giving the appearance of a single, large house. To address the site’s slope, a lower ground floor navigates the change in level and is half a storey below entrance level.

The front and rear elevations are treated differently. The street-facing side is more formal, symmetrical, and simple, reflecting a contemporary interpretation of the classical façade. The rear is more relaxed, featuring large balconies, terraces, varied window layouts, and steps in the massing, creating light, airy homes with views of the surrounding greenery.

The building materials respond to the surrounding area, where brickwork, render, tiles, and timber are common. The design incorporates fielded elevation of a red brickwork and a setback top of ‘lightweight’ standing seam zinc cladding behind glazed balustrading.

Privacy has been carefully designed to prevent overlooking. Balconies and terraces include privacy screens, side wall windows are positioned high or are frosted for daylighting while maintaining privacy, and roof lights are used to avoid overlooking neighbouring properties.