The 21 Davies Street project takes the traditional-style mansion block, a staple of the London housing market since late Victorian times, and gives it a new twist.
KPF’s design responds to the surrounding context through its geometry and materials. The design reflects a close study of the strongly articulated forms of older residential blocks in the area. Rows of glazed window bays restate a traditional motif in a modern way. Terra cotta was chosen for the external cladding, as it is widely found in the late Victorian residential buildings in Mayfair. Stone, bronze, copper, and glass complete the material palette, instilling the scheme with an air of durability and quality. A screened balustrade provides sun shading to the bays and further heightens the complexity and layering to the street façades. On the internal courtyard façades, the bays are expressed as open balconies.
The form of the building reflects the mixture of uses inside: retail and restaurant spaces are at street level, above them are offices, then four floors of apartments, and finally rooftop penthouses. 22 generously-scaled apartments are served by two service cores on each floor. A barrel-vaulted entrance hall creates an impressive point of entry from Davies Street, and its form is carried through the design of the penthouses.
