All Saints Passage reimagines a former commercial building tucked away off Wandsworth High Street as a housing-led, mixed-use scheme with homes above flexible ground floor space. Set beside All Saints Church and visible from Wandsworth Plain, the project addresses a constrained urban site with care, prioritising a calm presence that respects its neighbours while contributing to the evolving streetscape. The brief focuses on unlocking much-needed homes through sensitive adaptation and intensification, creating a contemporary addition that sits comfortably in its historic setting.
Externally, the architecture draws on local precedent through a refined material palette and a contemporary composition defined by a clear plinth and horizontal banding. Stepped massing is articulated in subtly varied brick tones to temper perceived bulk and mark the transition from street to rear, helping the building read as confident yet deferential in long and short views. Detailing is crisp and robust, aligning with the surrounding vernacular to ensure the development knits into context rather than competing with it.
Internally, generous glazing brings abundant daylight to efficiently planned apartments, with exposed concrete soffits lending a pared-back, urban character. SceneSmith extends the natural, muted palette into the homes to create calm, cohesive interiors. Every dwelling enjoys planted private terraces and access to a communal rooftop garden, while individual micro allotments encourage residents to grow produce and connect with nature. The scheme is fully electric, using air-source heat pumps, with materials and landscaping selected to enhance biodiversity and wellbeing.
Judges praised the scheme as a standout exemplar for a compact site, noting its distinctive character paired with contextual harmony. They highlighted the rigour of the architecture, the considered planning of the homes, and the strong, cohesive design language throughout. The approach to sustainability and resident wellbeing was viewed as purposeful and well integrated,
contributing to long-term value. Overall, they regarded it as a confident, high-quality model for medium-density housing that sets a commendable standard. One judge remarked: “A beautifully designed development, demonstrating exceptional sensitivity to context and highly distinctive architecture, which still complements the historic context.”
