Railway Arches Student Housing Hornsey Road, North London Accommodation Building, Architecture Photos

Railway Arches Student Housing in North London

27 May 2022

Architects: CZWG

Location: Hornsey Road, London, England, UK

Renders: CZWG Limited

Railway Arches Student Housing

CZWG Student Scheme and Revitalised Railway Arches In for Planning

CZWG has submitted plans for a 284 room student scheme on Hornsey Road adjacent to London Metropolitan University and opposite the Emirates Stadium. It includes proposals for the opening up of a new pedestrian route between Holloway Road station and Hornsey Road and the revitalisation of 21 dilapidated railway viaduct arches and a derelict building on Holloway Road (25 May 2022).

The shape of the site suggests a triangular plan building with a curved frontage expressing the change of direction of Hornsey Road. The 12-storey student building would create a townscape marker to the stadium and complete the built form on the northwest side of Hornsey Road. The new landscaped public realm designed by muf architecture/art, with flexible commercial space at ground level of the new building and the railway arches, would activate the currently disused area, improve access, pedestrian permeability and facilitate a 15-minute city lifestyle for the students and surrounding community.

The student accommodation is a mix of studio rooms and cluster flats with 35% being affordable. There are extensive indoor amenity facilities for students including common room, dining room, library, gym, dance studio, laundry and quiet contemplation rooms. There is also an amenity terrace with great views on the roof which is characterised by a large circular planter and pergola structure to add to the urban greening of the project.

Piers Gough, CZWG Founding Director said: “The building is in the form of a grand Palazzo fronting the extensive piazza and podium of the Emirates stadium. The alternate triple height arched openings of the base of the building relate to the height of the railway viaduct while single storey rectangular vertical openings between deliver a human scale. The frontage terminates each end in ‘flying’ half arches which dramatically extrude along the other two facades and meet in a double curve over the main student entrance. Doubled up windows to each room on the top floor make a distinctive cornice to the building form.”

The proposals have been subject to extensive pre-application consultation with the London Borough of Islington, the GLA as well as Transport for London, Network Rail and London Metropolitan University. If granted planning permission, the scheme will enable the revitalisation of the derelict viaduct arches and create a lively pedestrian connection with Holloway Road.

Railway Arches Student Housing Revitalised in London – Building Information

Client: Ashburton Trading Ltd
Planning Consultant: HGH Consulting
Architect: CZWG Ltd – https://czwg.com/
Landscape Architect: muf architecture /art LLP
Structural Engineer: Buro Happold
MEP Consultant: Walker Mower

Fire Strategy: K Wisdom Consulting Ltd
Sustainability Consultant: Energist
Environmental Consultant: Ramboll
Transport Consultant: Tim Spencer and Co
Daylight / Sunlight Consultant: Point 2
Micrcolimate: NOVA Fluid Mechanics
Arboricultural: Tim Moya Associates
Cost Consultant: Arcadis LLP
Viability Consultant: JLL