Axe Street Commercial and Residential
Products used: Gault Cream and Wakerley bricks
Project location: Barking, East London
Architects: BPTW In the heart of Barking, East London, is the Axe Street development – a transformative and innovative project to create a vibrant and sustainable community that seamlessly integrates residential, commercial and recreational spaces.
Spearheaded by architects BPTW, the Axe Street development aims to revitalise the urban landscape whilst also addressing the city’s pressing housing needs.
In partnership with Lindhill and the local authority, BPTW developed a mixed-use, residential-led design that embodied the vision for this part of Barking – high-quality, sustainable and affordable housing that enhanced the aesthetic appeal of the local vernacular and fostered a real sense of community and belonging through thoughtfully designed public spaces and amenities.
The landmark scheme provides 170 Build to Rent homes (mainly one and two bed apartments), with 10% of the homes designed for wheelchair accessibility and 35% of the homes affordable at sub-market rent levels.
In addition, there’s flexible commercial space at ground floor level, leisure facilities that have seen the former Abbey Sports transformed into a lively civic quarter and visitor destination. This includes a two-screen cinema, enabling the scheme to act as both an economic generator and a popular town centre attraction.
Axe Street is a dynamic and vibrant urban hub, with BPTW prioritising architectural diversity to enhance the visual interest of the development, including varied building heights, façade designs and materials to create a sense of place and identity.
This is why the architects specified Gault Cream and Wakerley bricks manufactured by Ibstock for this project.
The warm creamy hue of Ibstock’s Gault Cream bricks add elegance and sophistication to the building, giving a timeless aesthetic appeal. This, coupled with the unique and distinctive appearance of Wakerley bricks, renowned for their warm and earthy tones, adds character and charm to the building’s façade.
In line with the developer’s aim of creating an innovative and sustainable place, Ibstock’s commitment to sustainable manufacturing practices was also a key consideration in the specification process. Made from natural clay, both Gault Cream and Wakerley bricks are produced using energy efficient kilns and recycling processes, ensuring the bricks have minimal environmental impact and are manufactured to align with the principles of green building and sustainable development.
The Axe Street development stands as a testament to the transformative power of innovative design, sustainable practices and community collaboration in urban development. With visionary planning, BPTW has not only reshaped the physical landscape of Barking, but also enriched the social and environmental fabric of the community. In addition, the development has spurred economic growth, creating job opportunities, stimulating local businesses and enhancing property values in the area.