Situated at a prominent junction midway between the tube stop and Wembley stadium this mixed hotel and residential development provides a focal point. The project was the first element of the master plan for Olympic Way to be delivered and this building has set a precedent for the standard of regeneration.
The development is designed around a central courtyard with a 20 storey modular residential tower rising from a 7 storey block of housing on the southern boundary. A 237 bedroom hotel in a 12 storey block and 4 stories of housing also constructed in modular completes the courtyard perimeter. This is one of the first developmements for the Vision Modular System that was designed from the outset with a modular solution.
The building is constructed with traditional reinforced concrete up to a podium transfer slab. the structure below the transfer is set out to suit commercial and retail occupancies and is unrelated but mindful of the construction above. The modular construction commences above the transfer slab with varying heights of buildings on the four sides of the site. The hotel building is constructed with 12 stories of modules including a sloped roof. The hotel bedrooms each offer views of Wembley stadium through the projecting feature windows.
The system employed allows construction of irregular shaped modules and also changes in the profile of the upper levels of the modules as they are constructed. The tower element of the building includes 19 stories of modules with cantilevering perimeter balconies and featuring cladding elements on the outer edge of the balconies. The oval tower extends upwards from the lower rectangular housing block demonstrating what can be achieved with the system. The modules in the tower were erected with the balconies in place allowing the balconies to act as a type of scaffolding during the construction.
The striking elevations are created from the attention to detail by HTA Architects and their understanding of the modular system. The west elevation fronting onto Olympic Way reveals a shifting pattern depending on the time of day and the viewers perspective. Each bedroom projects outwards in a random pattern catching the light in a variety of shades across the elevation.
Commended, British Homes Awards: Mixed Use Development, 2014
Shortlist, Housing Design Awards, Project Category, 2012
Michael Hough.
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