BLOCK L, EASTMAN VILLAGE
Reviving the community spirit of the former Kodak factory
Block L occupies a central plot within Eastman Village in Harrow, linking two major public spaces of this mixed-use 2,000 homes development on what was once the largest Kodak factory outside the United States, built in 1891. The regeneration masterplan will ultimately deliver a completely new urban neighbourhood.
The block is located at the southern edge of the site, facing the Green Link linear park and a new community pavilion built around the retrofitted Kodak chimney. A simple courtyard, the block consists of four buildings (the two at the north designed by Piercy & Co) arranged around a communal podium garden. Though predominantly residential, the block provides two commercial units at each corner to ensure street-level activity and services for the community.
Compact Living
Block L introduced a new typology that we have designed for Barratt London: an intermediate unit called DMS – Discounted Market Sale – targeted at younger people who want home ownership on a more limited budget. Affordably designed, they typically have a 20 per cent discount. The two standard formats are: one-bed, one-person flat and a two-bed, three-person home. Both have been designed to leave maximum flexibility to the tenant with the best use of space – for instance, the two-bed flat has a dumbbell layout to allow for the possibility of each bedroom becoming an independent suite. For the one-bed flat, the bathroom has a two-door solution which allows for flow of movement within the space.
The Kodak pavillion with block L in the background.
Experienced-focused building
The massing and design of these buildings respond to their location and context: two L-shaped blocks are separated by gaps that allow vertical connections from the street, ensuring daylight and sunlight access to the gardens. The architecture emphasises the blocks’ prominence on two major public spaces by introducing subtle setbacks to break down the scale, reinforce the civic character, and balance the hierarchy with the iconic Kodak chimney.
Corners are carved at the ground floor to improve orientation and pedestrian flow, while the journey for residents and visitors has been carefully considered, with an indoor-outdoor visual connection between lift lobbies and the communal courtyard garden.
The residents’ journey from the lobby to the first floor access to the podium garden.
Inside-out design
The southern buildings complete the Green Link elevation with a stepped design that celebrates this unique location. The buildings step both in plan and in elevation: the taller volume creates a gateway feature at the widest point along the Green Link, while the lower volume provides a hierarchical counterpoint to the retained chimney. Smaller flats have been placed within the taller building, with its views looking over the park, to create intensity and increase efficiency; larger homes face the secondary road, resulting in a more spaced and calmed facade.
The large eastern gap between the buildings is further enhanced by the stepped plan, opening the courtyard garden to sunlight, providing long-distance views, and increasing the separation between facades to improve privacy and daylight access for the homes.
Kodak’s legacy as a pioneer in colour film is referenced in the vibrant colour palette detailing around the buildings entrances, inspired by the original machinery used on site.
Location:
Harrow, London
Use:
Residential and commercial
Status:
In construction
Size:
222 homes; 150sqm commerical
Client:
Barratt London, Hyde
Project Date:
2018-2019
Collaborators:
Pollard Thomas Edwards, Piercy & Company, East
