Little Venice & Luxborough Towers, Westminster – upgrading communal areas
Client: CityWest Homes Ltd
Status: Completed May 2011
Little Venice Towers are a group of six residential tower blocks, the exteriors of which had been upgraded and completely re-clad but whose interior, communal spaces were in need of improvement, as was the interior of Luxborough Tower, a single 1960s residential tower in Central London. CityWest Homes, Westminster Council’s Arms Length Management Organisation, asked DMA to come up with ideas for both projects, in order to improve the environmental performance of the buildings and to make them more inviting and uplifting places to come home to.
DMA worked closely with the residents in developing concepts to create this welcoming feeling. Years of retro-fitted services with messy pipework and conduits running across walls and ceilings were rationalised, boxed-in or concealed within new, suspended ceilings. More efficient lighting was introduced, together with splashes of colour to create bright, cheerful spaces. Sustainable and robust materials were chosen to cope with high use and to help keep ongoing maintenance costs down.
