458 Forest Road

: Walthamstow, London

Forest Road provides 90 affordable one-bedroom homes for local first-time buyers in Walthamstow, on a prominent site opposite Lloyd Park and the William Morris Gallery — the Grade II* listed former home of the Arts and Crafts activist.

The triangular site has contrasting contexts, with two-storey Victorian terraced houses lining streets on two sides and the arterial Forest Road as its main frontage. The scheme sensitively negotiates these differing characters with a sculpted massing that steps up from three to five storeys on Forest Road, reinstating active frontages on all sides that were part of the historic urban grain. Inspired by the curved bay windows of the William Morris Gallery, lintels are gently concave to catch soft shadows that animate with changing light. The material palette contains a mix of warm white, grey, plum, pink and red tones acknowledging the diverse colours of surrounding buildings. Forest Road makes excellent use of an under-utilised site, to provide 100% affordable homes - an achievement made possible in-part due to the generous, sculptural, triangular stairwell which combines a lift lobby within the same space. The plan of each one-bedroom home has been carefully designed to maximise living space. Features include large floor to ceiling windows for maximum daylight, ample storage, continuous flooring throughout main living spaces and sensible room proportions. Shared amenities include two roof terraces with park views and a south-facing communal courtyard.