Vorley Road is a pilot scheme for the London Borough of Islington to help address the climate emergency. The exemplar Passivhaus project will target net zero carbon whilst delivering 72 homes, of which 51% will be for social rent.
All the homes are dual or triple aspect with views towards the park or city beyond. The full-width balconies serve a dual purpose of providing private amenity space and solar shading, allowing for larger areas of glazing than might otherwise be recommended for a Passivhaus scheme.
An innovative heat pump heating system, along with the ‘fabric first’ approach when developing the scheme, will help deliver cheaper heating costs for residents and improve energy efficiency. Other devices, such as brise soleil, have been implemented differently on each building depending on the angle of the sun.
The scheme will also include new community facilities in a civic podium, consisting of a new home for Archway Library and a medical centre. The three buildings above carefully mediate between the 1960s massing of the town centre ‘island’ and the surrounding Girdlestone Estate. Much needed improvements will be undertaken for the local park and streetscape, with additional planting, sustainable urban drainage systems and revived play areas.
A mixed use, net zero carbon and Passivhaus scheme.