Villa Volta, North London
4 new homes on a redundant substation site
Status - planning permission granted

A modern three-story building made of red brick with a rounded corner, surrounded by trees and a sidewalk with people walking and a person riding a bicycle, in an urban neighborhood.

Villa Volta is a proposal to replace a decommissioned electrical substation in North London with new housing. Working with our client Arrant Land, we see the site as an opportunity to re-imagine a currently under-utilised and redundant remnant of the city’s infrastructure as a high-quality residential infill building.

The proposed scheme establishes a dignified frontage to the road and is carefully and conscientiously sculpted on all sides to mitigate issues of orientation, privacy and outlook in direct response to the varying edge conditions of the site. Rather than seeing these constraints as prohibitive, instead we see them as an opportunity to develop a highly creative and positive design response, resulting in a strong strategic connection between the interior configuration of the proposed units and the exterior envelope of the building.

The resultant building arrangement is a coherent, geometric ‘whole’ that acknowledges and responds to the proximity of a nearby school, neighbouring buildings and gardens, the scale and orientation of the site, the street frontage and of course the wider built context and its environs.

Furthermore, despite the physical constraints of the site, the proposed scheme provides a high quantum of characterful amenity space for its users, through careful positioning of loggia, balconies and terraces to mitigate issues of proximity or overlooking.

The proposed building is contemporary in its approach but firmly rooted in an understanding of its rich architectural context.

Map showing a property outlined in red, with several buildings shaded in gray, located along a street with surrounding residential buildings.
Interior of a modern waiting area or lobby with wooden accents, a bench with a man sitting on it, potted plant, and a glass door leading outside where a cyclist is riding by on the street.
An architectural model of a construction site showing wooden buildings, trees, and roads.
A digital rendering of a quiet residential street with brick buildings on both sides, trees lining the sidewalk, and a few pedestrians walking.

Awards

Villa Volta has been recognised with the following awards and nominations:

2019 / New London Architecture (NLA) Design Award, Homes Category - Shortlisted

Interior of a room with large glass windows and doors. A woman in a black dress stands on a balcony with potted plants and a brick wall.
Balcony with red brick walls and railing, potted plant, and large window with view of trees outside.
Interior of a modern room with large glass sliding doors leading to a small outdoor patio with brick walls and greenery. Inside, there are potted plants, a dining table with chairs, and a person in a wheelchair facing away. The room has a minimalistic design with wood accents and hanging ceiling lights.

Project Team

Architects / Novak Hiles Architects
Client / Arrant Land
Planning Consultant / Wildstone Planning
Landscape / Novak Hiles Architects
Interior Design / Novak Hiles Architects
Visuals / Novak Hiles Architects

Multi-story brick apartment building with large windows and balconies.
Architectural scale model of a multi-story house with trees and surrounding land on a wooden base.
A young girl in a pink and black sports uniform kicking a soccer ball while a woman in a blue tracksuit calls out to her. Three children are sitting against a large red brick wall, watching. The scene takes place outdoors on a paved area with yellow lines.