Enclave Croydon

Agency: TiggColl
Client: Outpost Management

The completed building is the largest co-living scheme to ever be approved by the GLA. As many other development sectors, BTR properties are trying to address London’s housing shortage. The amenity offering spans across 6 floors providing an extensive offering for the 815 apartments, a significant development in co-living.

By splitting the amenity across 6 floors the areas were broken down into characterised floors giving them their own specific identity and purpose, helping to humanise the scale to a more individual domestic experience. The material palette is inspired by Croydon’s architectural heritage. Having a strong mid-century feel, each level is given its own distinct identity but threaded together as a single narrative leading through the building to create a series of homely and comfortable spaces that people want to inhabit. The ambition of the interiors was to create a sense of home which flows throughout the building from the entry point, seeking to break down the large scale of the development. Additional demands and unique complexity were brought by the modular method of construction, bringing constraints for space planning and openings, particularly on the upper levels. Where the client wanted to achieve expansive floor plans within the constriction of the building modules, this demanded working closely with the contractor to develop a design that allowed for this to be realised within the proposed structure. Sustainability is one of the core design principles of TiggColl residential projects of this nature. TiggColl has worked closely with the client to develop a space planning layout that would activate the spaces and create a subtle layering of activities, responding to changing needs of the residents. The practice always considers adjacencies, how the activities overlap, physically and/or visually, creating natural touch points between residents and interaction and familiarity to create communities. The layout also allows to maximise the exposure to daylight in most lively and social spaces like co-working lounges, meeting rooms, libraries and dining spaces while keeps the darker spaces such as screening rooms that do not require views to the outside or light at the core of the building. Robust materials were specifically selected for use in high traffic areas to maximise longevity of the project and lifespan of the materials used as well as to minimise the requirement for the interior features to be replaced or refurbished regularly. The design of the co-living scheme features a variety of accredited and UK-sourced materials and biodegradable wall finishes. TiggColl have additionally developed bespoke furniture for key areas to complement and enhance the design, such as the reception desk, sky library joinery and bar. The planning requirements demanded an extensive number of communal kitchens in addition to those within the units however part of the brief was to innovate how these were distributed to enhance amenity and avoid multiple cooking floors. TiggColl therefore developed bespoke joinery to house concealed kitchens within meeting rooms, co-working and social spaces throughout, maximising the flexibility of use and increasing diversity of the offering.