Welcome to our second exhibition of our proposed plans for the future of Dolphin Square. This exhibition explains why we need to update and refurbish the Estate to secure it for the next 100 years, how we are proposing to do so, and how we have adapted our plans following our first exhibition in October 2017. Working with Eric Parry and his team, we have created a vision for the Square s future that is designed to complement and enhance its unique character. We hope you enjoy this exhibition and look forward to talking to you about our plans in more detail.
Introduction Following our first exhibition in October and the conversations we have since had with you, local stakeholders in the area and Westminster City Council, we are very pleased to be able update you on our proposals, particularly further details of the: Refurbishment and reconfiguration of existing flats Remodelling of Rodney House and new leisure facilities Remodelling of the garden to improve accessibility Additional storey of residential accommodation on the roof New Townhouses on the Western Carriageway We are here to answer any questions you have and look forward to hearing your views prior to submitting our formal planning application to Westminster City Council at the end of January 2018. Garden Illustration Looking North, Todd Longstaffe-Gowan, Westbrook s Garden Designer
History Dolphin Square was built in the 1930s as a bold, modern, inclusive way of living in Central London for people who wanted to live close to their work. As a result of a number of factors, the full vision was never completely realised. However, residents were attracted to the stylish flats with integrated plumbing and electrics, on an Estate which included a garden, leisure facilities and shops. Today Dolphin Square is one of the most well-known residential addresses in London. The 7.5 acre estate is home to over 2500 people and remains the largest private single residential block of flats in the UK. It includes: 1064 residential flats 165 serviced flats A private members gym, swimming pool and squash courts A restaurant A retail arcade 251 car parking spaces A tennis court 3.5 acres of gardens
Refurbishing the Square Dolphin Square is over 80 years old and as its custodians we have a duty to ensure that it remains a desirable place to live for the next 100 years. This means we must embark on a major refurbishment and development programme to: Modernise the windows, plumbing, electrics and lifts Upgrade the heating and water systems Replace the roof As there are over 1,000 flats, 4 miles of corridors and 7,000 windows, this is no simple task. Our proposals will enable us to pay for this improvement work and complete it in a way that is sensitive to the Dolphin Square Conservation Area and in keeping with the historic character and architecture of the Square. 1. Podium building obstructs entrance and garden 2. Entrance on Chichester Street comprises altered stone base frontage and plastic windows above 3. Gates restrict access to Garden 4. Garden is publicly accessible but underused 5. Chichester Street frontage unarticulated and not befitting of an entrance building 6. Facades require maintenance 7. Roofscape is cluttered and needs repairing and 7. Public realm in side access roads is poor quality rationalising
Eric Parry Architects Eric Parry Architects are world-leading architects, who are experts in working with historic buildings and public spaces. The practice was chosen by Westbrook to realise the vision for Dolphin Square because of their considered, artistic approach to creating beautiful buildings in sensitive historical environments. The practice is responsible for many highly prestigious projects across the UK involving sensitive buildings, including a significant new wing for the Holburne Museum of Art in Bath, and the restoration and renewal project for the historic St. Martin-in-the-Fields Church in Trafalgar Square. St-Martin-in-the-Fields Church Restoration St-Martin-in-the-Fields Church Restoration 7-8 St James s Square 23 Savile Row
Our Proposals We are proposing to build approximately 240 new financially accessible homes for working Londoners at Dolphin Square (approximately 225,000 sq.ft. of additional space). We propose to do this by: Refurbishing and reconfiguring a number of the existing flats to enable us to build more studios, one and two-bedroom flats Remodelling Rodney House to include approximately 40 additional serviced apartments and residential flats on part level 1 and levels 6 to 9 Re-housing the leisure facilities beneath the rebuilt Rodney House Extending the garden and making it fully accessible at ground level Adding one storey of residential accommodation to the remainder of the Estate (a tenth storey) Building a row of sixteen townhouses on the West Carriageway CLAVERTON STREET Illustrative View of the New Entrance to the Square Looking Through Rodney House from Chichester Street
Rodney House Rodney House has become the Square s main entrance on Chichester Street, yet it does not befit the address. It is three storeys lower, it doesn t match the architecture and design intent and ambition of the rest of the Estate and its materials and details are of a poorer quality. It currently contains the business centre, lettings office and amenities, as well as 165 serviced apartments, but no long-term residents. We therefore propose to: Rebuild Rodney House with high-quality stone, bricks and other crafted materials selected to complement the remainder of the Square Create a grand new vaulted entrance portico to the Square that leads to the extended gardens at ground-level Build additional residential flats and serviced apartments within the new building Replace the leisure facilities in the basement, to include a 20 metre swimming pool, two squash courts, gym and studios Rebuild the restaurant to face the courtyard at basement level Re-provide the retail units to provide frontage to Chichester Street Illustrative View of Proposed Retail Units along Chichester Street
Rodney House Elevation Existing Buildings behind are taller than primary entrance building Significantly lower roofline of existing Rodney House was orginally intended to be same height as the rest of the Square Entrance to reception and podium building blocks entrance to Square Hidden entrance to retail arcade Chichester Street presents mostly blank frontages at ground level
Rodney House Elevation Proposed
Grosvenor Road Elevation Existing Building height brought in line with the rest of the Sqaure
Grosvenor Road Elevation Proposed
East Carriageway Elevation Existing
East Carriageway Elevation Proposed NEW RODNEY HOUSE
New Homes We are proposing to build approximately 240 new homes of which: Circa 70 will be located in the additional roof storey (including family units) 16 Townhouses on the Western Carriageway which will include family houses and 8 Affordable Townhouses Circa 80 will be created in the new remodelled Rodney House (including family units) Circa 70 will be created by reconfiguring and refurbishing existing flats to enable us to provide more studio, one and two bedroom flats CLAVERTON STREET GROSVENOR ROAD Existing building Proposed additions Diagram Showing Proposed Areas of Development
Illustrative View Looking South Across the Square from the Roof of Rodney House
Illustrative Townhouse Frontage GROSVENOR ROAD PROPOSED ROW OF HOUSES RODNEY HOUSE Illustrative Elevation of Proposed Townhouses Plan Diagram Showing Location of Proposed Townhouses
The Gardens We have appointed Dr Todd Longstaffe-Gowan, an eminent garden architect with a specialist knowledge of historic landscapes, to develop proposals for the garden. He has worked extensively with the National Trust, Historic Royal Palaces and English Heritage on a variety of historic landscapes including The Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace, Kensington Palace Gardens and The Crown Estate. His proposals retain the special qualities of the gardens and work in the spirit of Richard Sudell s legacy to re-use many of the existing and much-loved features of the gardens, including: The mature avenue of chestnuts to the South Elements of the colonnade The Moroccan lamps The Dolphin Statue and mosaic The creation of new garden pavilions and pergolas in a style complementary to the originals Retention of the individuality of the smaller courtyard gardens with improved disabled access and planting Garden Illustration Looking North Towards the new Rodney House, Todd Longstaffe-Gowan
New Landscaping The new landscaping is predominately focused in the north of the Square and includes: A sunken garden Tranquil reflective water pools and a central linear water feature New pavilions and remodelled courtyard areas CHICHESTER STREET Sunken Garden Linear Water Feature New Pavilions and Reflective Pools GROSVENOR ROAD Illustrative Plan Showing Garden Arrangement
Illustration of Proposed Lime Alley Looking South Illustration of Proposed Courtyard Illustration of Proposed Janus Pavilion
Access and Parking We have consulted with the Metropolitan Police to improve security across Dolphin Square to meet the Secured by Design initiative. We are planning to: Install a state of the art CCTV system Add intercom systems to all flats with a secure line to house receptions Add secure access control to all entrances Add gates to the central courtyard Add security to the car park We are proposing to move access to the basement parking to the Eastern Carriageway to enable us to build the Townhouses, update the car and cycle provision and improve security. Dolphin Square currently has: 98 car parking spaces at ground level 153 basement parking spaces 114 bicycle spaces We are proposing: 73 spaces at ground level including 13 disabled accessible spaces 168 basement parking spaces 434 bicycle spaces Additional electric vehicle charging points Proposed Eastern Carriageway Existing parking spaces Accessible parking spaces Proposed Western Carriageway Existing parking spaces Accessible parking spaces
Energy & Sustainability Our proposals for upgrading the buildings and modernising the internal workings include a new, sustainable approach to heating and cooling the refurbished buildings. Existing boreholes, which currently access the reservoirs beneath Dolphin Square to provide drinking water, will be repurposed to use the groundwater to heat and cool the buildings in a more energy efficient way. Beatty & Duncan reservoir, suggested to be utilised as rainwater harvesting/attenuation tank Cooling to Rodney North side building Nelson & Howard reservoir Frobisher & Collingwood reservoir New plantroom for groundwater to cooling underground adjacent car park Re-use existing boreholes for cooling Proposed Heating and Cooling Diagram
Working With You We remain committed to continuing to talk to you about this project once we have submitted our planning application to Westminster City Council at the end of January 2018. We do not expect to start moving residents before 2020. When we are granted permission we will be able to develop detailed construction management and sequencing plans and talk to you about how the project will affect you individually. Our current view is that the works will take approximately 5 years. Our initial thoughts on construction sequencing are indicated below, but these could still change as we work up more detail about the construction process. 1. Primary services and infrastructure works to whole Estate 2. Demolition of Rodney House and refurbishment and re-housing of residents of Keyes House and Duncan House 3. Refurbishment and re-housing of residents of Hood House and Collingwood House 4. Refurbishment and re-housing of residents of Frobisher House, Grenville House and Drake House 5. Refurbishment and re-housing of residents of Raleigh House, Hawkins House and Nelson House 6. Refurbishment and re-housing of residents of Howard House and Beatty House It is anticipated that all Option B tenants will be able to move back to their flats at the point when the works to their Houses have been completed.
Construction Management Westbrook and the Main Contractor responsible for managing the construction activities will develop a detailed construction programme which will be shared with local residents and residents of Dolphin Square ahead of construction works starting on site and will be approved by Westminster City Council. We have set out an initial indicative timeline of activities below to help residents to understand what the work will entail. STAGES Primary services and infrastructure works to WORKS DURATION 12 months whole Estate Refurbishment of the existing flats and the 18 months per phase rooftop single extension This stage is proposed to carried out in a series of phases, with works to 2 or 3 houses being carried out at any time. Demolition and development of Rodney House 6 months Demolition 12 months - Basement dig and frame construction 18 months Construction and Fitout Construction of Townhouses along the Western 18 months Carriageway Landscape enhancement and public realm 9 months improvements Working Group As well as providing regular communications and updates to residents, a Demolition and Construction Working Group will be established in order to ensure that Dolphin residents, neighbouring residents, Pimlico Academy and representatives of the wider community are kept informed about construction activity throughout the process.