The new West London headquarters for Octavia Housing & Care is at the core of a mixed-use development that packs a multitude of benefits onto a long-vacant canalside site. Octavia teamed up with RHWL Architects following an introduction by one of the housing association’s trustees, a developer who had been impressed by the practice’s record for coupling responsiveness to client needs with high value, deliverable design. The result is a thoughtfully delineated six storey structure with a waterfront garden to the rear, slotted serenely into a tightly-hemmed urban site.

A key aim of the client was to produce no fewer than 28 sheltered housing units providing 24-hour care. Employment zoning meant that new residences had to be combined with a high proportion of space for office or light industrial use. In the event, the development incorporates all three – 3,800 sq m of office space for Octavia’s own use and for commercial let, three light industrial units at basement level and 28 serviced flats – as well as basement level carparking for 14 cars.

We were influential in combining residents’ priority for comfort and security with the achievement of an Ecohomes rating of 'good', in part through the installation of government grant-funded solar roof panels to provide a portion of the building’s energy needs.