Establishing a unique destination and positive street experience for Maidenhead.
Strategy
Maidenhead sits in the Thames Valley to the west of Greater London in what is often referred to as the Western Corridor. Like Slough, Reading and Hayes, the large market town benefits from its proximity to London and Heathrow Airport, and has become an ideal location for businesses and residents alike, with the arrival of Crossrail spurring a number of key developments within the town centre, including One Maidenhead.
Smedvig
Ryger Maidenhead Ltd
One Maidenhead occupies a 9 acre site and is set to transform the future of Maidenhead, acting as a transition piece between the existing town centre and future development around the station.
Working for developer HUB and Norwegian family fund - Smedvig, Studio Egret West’s design for Phase 1 of One Maidenhead comprises 429 energy efficient homes to rent and 36,000 sq ft ground floor shops and restaurants surrounded by a beautifully landscaped square at the heart of the scheme.
At all times we’ve held recognisance for the adjacent conservation area, and we’ve made sure that the scale and appearance of the new buildings respect and enhance this historic character. We have also carved new connections throughout the site, with these new routes improving permeability and helping to stitch One Maidenhead back into the existing urban grain where it will become a unique destination within Maidenhead, and establish a positive street experience for residents and visitors alike.
Specificity
In developing our detailed designs for The Landing, we’ve worked with local artist Kirsty Brooks to ensure the buildings feel rooted in the rich history of the town through material and colour choices as well as specific art works. The predominant palette of bricks and terracotta tiles in subtly varying hues is inspired by the geological composition of Maidenhead, with accent textiles such as coated metal and glazed tile. Meanwhile, an articulated and varied skyline brings distinctiveness to the scheme, whilst also making reference to the traditional warehouse rooflines which were once common place in Maidenhead throughout the different brewery buildings.
At street, as the landscape architects, we have crafted a high quality public realm, with the new Garden Square offering an oasis of nature with opportunities for informal play and pop up events. This predominantly green public space is characterised by interesting non-native tree species and a textured understorey of verdant planting arranged in a natural composition.
Maidenhead traces its local history to the Stone Age, evolving from a small hamlet along the River Thames into a town as it expanded with the construction of the first bridge. The new garden square features winding paths, wooden furniture, and natural stone inspired by Maidenhead’s bridges. The design pays tribute to the original wooden bridge (1280), the grade I listed Portland stone bridge (1777), and Brunel’s red brick ‘sounding arch’ (1838), blending the town’s architectural heritage in a picturesque garden setting.”Duncan Paybody
Director of Landscape, Studio Egret West
The ground floor spaces of the various buildings enjoy views out over the square, with clusters of outdoor dining areas arranged amongst the planting. Pedestrian routes sweep through the garden and meander rather than follow straight lines, whilst the sites perimeter streets are designed to be uncluttered pedestrian spaces, using high quality adoptable materials to tie in with the wider public realm material strategy for Maidenhead Town Centre.
Stepping up from the Garden Square, a series of podium and roof gardens provide communal amenity for One Maidenhead's residents, with planting used to contain and enclose these spaces to create comfortable environments surrounded by nature.
These private green amenities have aided our commitment to delivering high quality homes. In addition to this, we have incorporated dual aspect facing frontages wherever possible, with the design of the internal accommodation maximising daylight as well as providing spacious open plan living, dining and kitchens to meet the needs of contemporary living.
Sustainability
Through the provision of employment opportunities and new community facilities, along with carefully designed homes, we are providing a chance to live within the town centre while taking advantage of the recently opened Crossrail link from the nearby Maidenhead station. We have delivered an inclusive environment that meets the needs of all potential users, including at ground level where we’ve crafted an accessible public realm to ameliorate the level changes across the site, with a careful application of materials and seating that is integrated into the landscape.
The site currently had low ecological value and through our landscape we are aiming to achieve a net gain in biodiversity via the creation of numerous new habitats. Extensive soft landscaping at both ground and roof levels show a notable increase in urban greening, whilst a drainage strategy is targeting a 50% reduction in run-off from the site using a combination of Sustainable Drainage Systems.
One Maidenhead also adopts a sustainability strategy which promotes a fabric first philosophy to reduce energy consumption. We’re proposing passive energy saving measures which will exceed Part L 2013, whilst the design of the new homes ensures healthy internal living environments are created for all occupants, with a maximum residential water use rate of 120 litres/ person/day achieved through efficient bathroom fittings.
Team
