Taking cues from the neighbouring building typologies, scale, daylight and privacy, Tikari Works created The Rye Apartments; a collection of ten units, set in the residential streets of south London. The new-build structures are linked by a concrete plinth on ground level and feel at home in their urban context, offering a nod to nearby volumes through shape and massing.
Set opposite Peckham Rye Park, and replacing a dilapidated two-storey post-war building and four garages, the project is not only formally respectful to its surroundings; it was also designed to be sustainable and support the environment too, explain the architecture studio’s founders, Nicola and Ty Tikari.
The architects’ choice of materials was key to this end. The buildings are clad in red masonry shingles externally, referencing surrounding brick colours, while internally they feature mostly wood, creating a soft, cocooning environment that calms the eye.
However, this was not a purely aesthetic decision. Aiming for efficiency in both energy and cost, the team opted for the use of a cross-laminate timber frame for the structure. This appears exposed in both load-bearing and non-load-bearing walls – as well as ceilings – creating a smooth, consistent interior. Meanwhile red quarry tiles create a colour pop in bathrooms and circulation areas.
As with many of their projects, Tikari Works acted as architect, developer and main contractor for The Rye Apartments. Its ambition is to create ‘exciting, sustainable homes, full of detail, craft and delight,’ says the team. ‘Through this integrated design approach, the apartments represent an optimisation between commercial pressures, ease of construction and an architectural ambition to raise the quality of life of the end user.’ §
