96-200 The Broadway

The project is a joint venture between the developer Thornsett and the St Paul’s Group YMCA – replacing an existing hostel with a new facility. We worked closely with the planning team at the London Borough of Merton to develop a design that marked this gateway to the town centre with an architectural approach that referenced the unique character of the buildings along the Broadway. This was achieved by designing a two storey colonnade with our bespoke design of ‘flowers’ – a unique casting design.  The design team also collaborated with a local artist who designed the patterns in the horizontal elements and perforated panels in the YMCA rooms to link our proposal with the history of Wimbledon and the YMCA as well as to add texture and richness to the overall appearance of the proposal.

Addressing the main planning challenge of building height, the project emphasises high-quality design, careful massing, and material selection. Comprehensive townscape analysis, verified views, and advanced visualisation tools such as Vucity subscriptions, CGI renderings, sections, and physical models were instrumental in demonstrating minimal adverse impact and ensuring project viability. 

The project, executed in two phases to maintain YMCA operations throughout, delivers high-quality homes,  with over 70% featuring dual aspects—a notable achievement in such an urban setting. The development contributes to local welfare by providing Affordable Homes, enhancing public realm amenities, retaining the YMCA, and championing sustainability and Circular Economy principles. 

This development marks a transformative chapter in the charity’s longstanding history, spanning nearly 150 years, signalling a commitment to modernising and meeting the evolving needs of the community.

The site’s primary challenge is harmonising with the mid-rise context of The Broadway while transitioning into the low-rise urban fabric of South Park Road. To address this the scheme features a cohesive mix of interconnected buildings, varying in height, plot widths, setbacks, and curved corners which reflects the local urban grain and the careful consideration of distance between properties.

The proposal connects the Broadway shopping parades either side of the site. Inspiration was taken from the vertical rhythm and character of the surrounding shopping parades as well as organic shapes present in nature to create a soft overhang soffit resulting in a light colonnade.

A large central courtyard improves the quality of the approach to the dwellings and increases the number of dual aspect apartments. This courtyard provides a community space shared by residents helping to create a sense of community within the development. Frontages are activated by commercial units and the YMCA gym, lobby, and café onto The Broadway. In response to the character of The Trinity Road, duplex residential units have been implemented. Ground and first floors are set-back to break up the massing but also to increase the public realm and create a welcoming overhang for pedestrians.

Inspiration was taken from the vertical rhythm and character of the surrounding shopping parades as well as organic shapes present in nature to create a soft overhang soffit resulting in a light colonnade. We undertook extensive engagement with local residents and politicians, facilitated through two public consultations and continuous stakeholder dialogues. In referencing our design strategy and understanding of the context we were able to communicate the narrative, contextual led design of the development, which is bespoke to the locality, resulting in broad acceptance of a 9-storey building within a predominantly two-storey housing area.

The collaborative efforts between the YMCA, GLA and design review panels ensured alignment with community needs and aspirations, while also adhering to regulatory requirements and design standards. This inclusive approach fostered transparency, trust, and collective commitment to delivering a development that serves the broader community’s interests while honouring specific stakeholder concerns.

One of the main challenges of the site was meeting GLA requirements for Zero Carbon and Circular Economy, we achieved BREEAM “Very Good” in the YMCA hostel and an Urban Greening Factor of 0.4, as well as 73% dual aspect homes. Intensive and extensive green roofs, birds and bats boxes are provided to improve the local biodiversity. The Energy Assessment closely followed GLA guidance and London Plan requirements. A baseline for comparison has been developed based on a Part L 2013 compliant development.

A Life Cycle Costing Study and the innovative ambient temperature heat pump energy strategy and photo-voltaic electricity generation, alongside passive design principals greatly help the YMCA Broadway Development achieve a high level of sustainability. The site wide carbon saving is calculated as 71% when compared to Part L 2013 of the building regulations.