Newington Green

With its six storeys of curved brick cladding, housing association Peabody Trust's Newington Green scheme in Stoke Newington, north London, is a landmark in its urban crossroads setting. The tower is the centrepiece of the £4m mixed-use scheme, which comprises 42 shared ownership and for-sale homes, a medical centre and commercial space. The cladding of the tower, and the three- and our-storey blocks alongside it, is a combination of timber, render and nearly 200,000 Baggeridge bricks. "The buildings are predominantly brick, which, given the built-up surroundings of the site, seemed the right choice for this kind of development," says Andrew Shorten, architect with Rivington Street Studio, the scheme's designer. "The colour is very soft, works well with the timber elements, and combines effectively with the hard regularity of the bricks themselves."

newington green is a very convincing building, which, with its straightforward detailing, makes a positive contribution to the area

Shortlist

Canalside housing, Hackney, London
  • open elevations with views over a canal contrast with solid brickwork
    Architect: Pollard, Thomas and Edwards
    Main contractor: Berkley Homes
    Structural Engineer: Ellis Moore
    Brick: Ambion Warnham Yellow Multi

    Shepherdess Walk, London

  • The apartments are a thoughtful solution to the problem of a small infill site
    Architect: Sergison Bates
    Main contractor: Rooff
    Structural Engineer: Price & Myers
    Brick: Baggeridge Classic Blue Multi

    Oratory Court, Dun Laoghaire, Ireland

  • A carefully detailed low-rise housing development to which landscaping and planting make a significant contribution
    Architect: Eugene Gribbin
    Structural Engineer: Eugene Gribbin
    Brick: Kingscourt Red Smooth and Murrayfield Buff Rustic

    Wolf Tone Close, Dublin

  • City-centre housing clustered around a courtyard. The ingenious form produces a delightful and unexpected space
    Architect: Dublin Corporation City
    Main contractor: Gem Construction
    Brick: Kingscourt Earlsfort Multi

    The Lakeside Residences, Aston University

  • Well-designed student accomodation on an awkward site in the centre of birmingham
    Architect: Feilden Clegg Bradley Architect
    Main contractor: John Laing Construction
    Structural engineer: Buro Happold
    Brick: Hanson Brick Wire Cut Smooth Facings