The design development evolved through a series of processes. The site was formerly office use, but had lain vacant for several years and a competition process was held by the client. As lead consultant PRC coordinated the design team and worked with the client’s aspirations to critically analyse the site. Following close co-operation with Council officers and the Greater London Authority, a set of design principles were established. Two public exhibitions were used to engage with the local community and progressed the design forward to a planning application and finally a presentation to the Development Control Committee Members.

As a major urban site in the centre of the London Borough of Sutton, the site was influenced by several factors. The key design drivers were based on the urban design principles of integration and connection, layout and parking, accessibility and crime reduction, ease of movement-permeability, navigation and orientation – legibility, public and privates spaces, energy and sustainability, landscape and open space, quality of built form and massing. As a sustainable location in the heart of Sutton within an area allocated for tall buildings, a high density development has been achieved whilst careful consideration of the neighbouring buildings was taken to ensure no undue overshadowing.

The site is well connected by public transport links but there were no routes accessible by cycles or pedestrians. Working with the client, consultants and authorities PRC designed a new public realm to the west of the site which could potentially link a future planned tram station with the existing rail station as well as provide an attractive landscaped space for the public and residents with a wide, tree lined boulevard. The new public realm also provides clear definition to the building frontage and entrances enhancing the legibility of the building. The curved frontage not only responds to the existing curve in the road, but creates a distinctive sense of place which leads the eye along the one way route through the town centre. The access points to the retail, hotel and health and fitness have been designed to come from the new public space providing an opportunity for a lively active frontage and public route that was missing from the previous use of the site, while the towers retain a prominence as landmark buildings.

The scheme has been designed to ensure that all 332 apartments were either East, West or South facing to benefit from maximum sunlight into the apartments. Whilst a large public realm area was provided at ground floor level, other communal landscaped areas are provided at 2nd and 9th floor levels, to provide private open spaces for the occupants.