The Clearings warehouses were designed by Slater Moberly & Uren, architect with William Crabtree of the Peter Jones store on Sloane Square. Retailer John Lewis, which had owned the site since the 1930s, values its relationship with local residents, so from the outset the approach in redeveloping the Clearing was to be architecturally sympathetic and sensitive.
Peter Jones is a notable modernist building with curved facades of horizontal glazing that recall the work of the German expressionist architect Erich Mendelsohn. A dense development that maintained the street frontage and the adoption of a rounded corner were both characteristics for the new proposal.
The site is located close to South Kensington and Sloane Square, and a high-end residential development was the obvious vehicle for John Lewis. There was a happy coincidence between the overall dimensions of the component blocks that occupied the Clearings site, and the maximum depth at which luxury flats can be planned around a central core.
A pattern of four large flats per floor, each enjoying a corner condition, can be given an additional twist by introducing one-and-a-half-storey living rooms at the corners The resulting floor levels make use of a ‘three against two’ device, seen in the elevation.
The spacious corner living rooms take advantage of the long views up and down the adjacent streets. Mossop Street was chosen as the preferred address for the main access. The character of the entrance in high-end housing is significant as it conveys an initial message to the occupant or visitor. Here, the design of the circular entrance and adjacent curved facades make reference to the sweeping geometries in the work of Mendelsohn.
South Kensington displays a great diversity of both buildings and facade materials. In this instance, the choice of faience as a principal facade treatment relates to the nearby Michelin building and the adjacent Harrods Depository. Colour was much discussed – our preference (and that of the planners) was blue.
The requirement for a social contribution in the form of Section 106 funds provided an opportunity to rebuild the adjacent Marlborough Primary School. To build on its existing site, the school had to find a temporary location, and the existing Clearings building was ideal. While this seems very logical, it affected our relationship to the overall project. The extended time taken to demolish and rebuild the school meant that there was significant delay before the main Clearings project could commence.
As often happens with situation of this kind, the client used this time to invite other designers to look at the project. We found ourselves in the rather troubling position whereby our skills had been used to obtain planning permission on ly to have the building of the project taken from us.