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SPPARC has secured planning permission, on behalf of their client, in the heart of the Kensington Conservation area for an exciting contemporary mixed use redevelopment of an 'island site' recognised as the entrance to Notting Hill Gate from Kensington Church Street. The scheme includes boutique retail space, office accommodation and high quality lateral residential units. Work is expected to commence during 2013.
SPPARC has adopted innovative architectural techniques to generate an original design concept that reflects on the historic origins of the area to evolve an architectural composition of beauty designed in harmony with the character of the Kensington Conservation Area by using modern interpretations of traditional materials, window hierarchy and features.
The external qualities of the elevations, both physical and metaphorical, are fused into the texture and richness of the proposal. The modern intervention and the vertical rhythm of each elevation has been inspired from the candle making heritage which once dominated the area whilst the external materials reflect the weight and solidity of the conservation area. The two influences are bound by adopting an innovative translucent pre-cast masonry which allows light to pass through the solid features of the facade and external framing structural members.
Trevor Morriss, Principal of SPPARC said: "We are delighted to have secured consent for an innovative contemporary building within the Kensington Conservation Area. The scheme balances matters of scale, material quality and functionality to achieve a building which has distinctive architecture that sensitively responds to its context."