McKays, North Kensington

McKays is a mixed use development which occupies a 2 acre site within the Kensal Employment zone in North Kensington. The area has attracted many small scale design, media, fashion, music and associated businesses over recent years and whilst the Council’s overriding aim is to promote employment uses in the area, new housing, as part of mixed use development was included to encourage a diversity of uses and to add vitality to the neighbourhood. The site occupies an entire block with a frontage onto Kensal Road and a waterside elevation to the north overlooking the Grand Union Canal. The project is designed with 108 affordable flats on four floors sitting on a podium deck over two floors of small studio/office workshop suites. Access to the flats on the upper floors is via three fully glazed secure entrances down the length of Kensal Road which access landscaped courtyards on the podium deck. Individual entrances each serve a small number of flats ensuring the scheme complies with the requirements of the “Secure by Design” Guidlines. To the south the buildings bulk is disguised by the upper floors being considerably set back from the street frontage. The north elevation is broken down into smaller plot widths linked by a set-back top floor beneath a gently undulating roof reflecting the buildings waterside setting.  

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