Working as client, architect and main contractor, Tikari Works‘ ambition for The Rye Apartments was to create a set of richly detailed apartments on an important corner site opposite Peckham Rye Park in south London. They began the project by extensively testing the building form against pragmatic issues of access to daylight, privacy and relationship to context. The formal testing resulted in two blocks, unified through their roof-lines and material qualities. A concrete plinth at ground level enhances the ‘sibling’ relationship between the buildings and strengthens the idea of a shared community of homes.
A facade of clay shingles embed the buildings into their red brick Victorian context. The shingles wrap the buildings in a way that is monolithic and sculptural. 10,000 handmade clay shingles were produced at the Petersen Tegl factory in Denmark for the project. An exposed cross-laminate timber structure is used to create natural and welcoming spaces whilst optimising construction time and minimising carbon emissions.
Delicate timber joinery infills the CLT frame creating spaces which are warm and domestic. Red Quarry tiles punctuate the timber volumes creating a common language between the inside and outside. A strategy of custom fabrication is employed to create variety and authenticity within the unit types, whilst still allowing the apartments to share a common DNA.
Design and info © Tikari Works
Images © Jack Hobhouse
