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Nile Street | Hoxton
Nile Street is an innovative high density development in London Borough of Hackney, designed by architects Munkenbeck + Marshall for the Peabody Trust. It is a showcase for social housing in inner-city London, providing 175 homes, a communal courtyard and roof gardens and a youth centre. 128 of the homes are affordable, designed for key workers and those on low or intermediate incomes.
The development is situated on Nile Street, N1, a few minutes walk from Old Street underground and a stone’s throw from trendy Hoxton Square. The site was previously an NCP car park and was purchased by The Peabody Trust from Hackney Council in March 2003. The location is perfect for key workers, being close to Moorfields Eye Hospital and City of London.
There are three kinds of affordable homes: rented flats and studios for key workers; flats for Peabody’s own tenants; and shared-ownership flats where it is possible to take out a mortgage for some of the value of the flat and pay a subsidised rent on the remainder. These have been mixed with a further 47 flats that have been sold privately to cross-subsidise the affordable housing in the development. There are also communal roof gardens as well as a youth centre. The Nile Street development got its sometime ‘Blue Hut’ nickname from the existing youth club that was on site, quite literally based out of a blue hut. Provision of the youth centre was agreed as part of the land purchase agreement with Hackney Council. An additional £1 million on the youth centre with additional funding from the locally-based Shoreditch Trust. The design of the Nile Street site reflects the belief that a social housing development needs the very highest quality of design in order to be a success. The developer, Peabody Group, was awarded Client of the Year in 2004 by the Royal Institute of British Architects. Architects Munkenbeck and Marshall were already well known for the luxury developments at Gainsborough Studios and Paddington Walk. For the Nile Street site, they rose to the challenge of combining high density housing with a feeling of quality and spaciousness.
The building is clad in green copper at the Nile Street and Provost Street elevations and light timber panels in the courtyard and on other elevations. The projecting balconies - rectangular on one side of the building and triangular on another - provide an outdoor space for most of the flats as well as having a visually attractive effect on the exterior.
The development is situated on Nile Street, N1, a few minutes walk from Old Street underground and a stone’s throw from trendy Hoxton Square. The site was previously an NCP car park and was purchased by The Peabody Trust from Hackney Council in March 2003. The location is perfect for key workers, being close to Moorfields Eye Hospital and City of London.
There are three kinds of affordable homes: rented flats and studios for key workers; flats for Peabody’s own tenants; and shared-ownership flats where it is possible to take out a mortgage for some of the value of the flat and pay a subsidised rent on the remainder. These have been mixed with a further 47 flats that have been sold privately to cross-subsidise the affordable housing in the development. There are also communal roof gardens as well as a youth centre. The Nile Street development got its sometime ‘Blue Hut’ nickname from the existing youth club that was on site, quite literally based out of a blue hut. Provision of the youth centre was agreed as part of the land purchase agreement with Hackney Council. An additional £1 million on the youth centre with additional funding from the locally-based Shoreditch Trust. The design of the Nile Street site reflects the belief that a social housing development needs the very highest quality of design in order to be a success. The developer, Peabody Group, was awarded Client of the Year in 2004 by the Royal Institute of British Architects. Architects Munkenbeck and Marshall were already well known for the luxury developments at Gainsborough Studios and Paddington Walk. For the Nile Street site, they rose to the challenge of combining high density housing with a feeling of quality and spaciousness.
The building is clad in green copper at the Nile Street and Provost Street elevations and light timber panels in the courtyard and on other elevations. The projecting balconies - rectangular on one side of the building and triangular on another - provide an outdoor space for most of the flats as well as having a visually attractive effect on the exterior.
The development is centered around a courtyard with silver birch trees and a water feature that is illuminated at night. In contrast, some of the flat roofs are designed as formal terraces which will benefit from the sun at all times of day. The roof gardens have been furnished with timber benches and planters.
Client Peabody Trust
Architect Munkenbeck + Marshall
Awards
RIBA Housing Development 2006
Evening Standard New Homes Award 2006
Contract Sum £17.5m
Awards
RIBA Housing Development 2006
Evening Standard New Homes Award 2006
Contract Sum £17.5m