Forest Mews

sociable architecture: housing to enhance community
"Through sharing we have more..."

Forest Mews is Stolon Studio’s first sociable architecture project, creating a small sustainable community of 3 live/work houses arranged around a multi-functional shared outdoor courtyard.

Each individual house has been located to maximise the use of large flexible spaces and to balance privacy with community. The flying brick beams of houses, define the boundary of private and communal space, creating a clear gateway without barriers.

A semi private outdoor room or loggia serves as an entrance porch, external terrace, extension to living space and an atrium to surrounding rooms.

Each house is tailored to its position on the site, fashioned from the same building fabric, and gathered together using a common design thread. Atypical to a traditional mews, the designs are light and airy, with a high proportion of glazing to solid. The pale ‘stock’ bricks and glazing reflect light into the communal courtyard even during winter months.
The richly textured communal courtyard is landscaped with a geometric mix of resin-bound gravel and planting beds, connecting back to brick piers. A distinctive treillage mesh covers and traces the motifs of the elevations, providing shading and privacy for residents as well as support for climbing plants.

Located on a land-locked, urban brownfield site in Lewisham one of the key challenges was how to maximise light to each dwelling without compromising privacy and outlook. Here, the buildings create a balance between natural light and thermal performance by using triple glazing as well as high performance insulation to walls, floors and roof.

This simple yet complex scheme was constructed within the context of a tight urban patchwork site, with the sensitivity required to achieve 32 Party Wall Awards. It has since been adopted by the local authority as an exemplar project within its SPD.
project book shelf