Our proposals for a four-storey airspace development for Skyroom received planning permission following unanimous approval by Southwark’s planning committee in November 2020.

The scheme, which is on St James’s Road, SE1, will provide 15 new homes and be built using modern methods of construction.

Skyroom is a technology and urban development company delivering precision-manufactured homes in the airspace above existing buildings. It sets a new blueprint for sustainable urban development in London.

Skyroom prioritises homes for local key workers. Building on the ‘15-minute-city’ agenda, the development is close to major transport hubs and key worker employers, such as Guy’s Hospital.

Working closely with Skyroom over several years, we designed a series of dimensionally consistent components which will be precision-manufactured in state-of-the-art factories in the north of England. The airspace development will be structurally independent of the existing building by means of an exoskeleton.

The new homes will be installed by cranes over a period of weeks, not years, eliminating the need for existing residents to vacate their homes, and significantly reducing typical disruption to neighbours and the local communities.

The existing building is a three-storey concrete and brick apartment block on St James’s Road. Fifteen new homes will be added in a mix of one, two and three-bedrooms. They will be finished on the exterior with galvanised metal panels.

The interiors will have self-finishing natural materials such as cork and plywood, chosen for their beauty and sustainability. With 2.5 metre ceiling heights and large windows, all benefit from ample daylight and dual-aspect views across the city. Each new home has private outdoor space, and both existing and new residents will benefit from two large planted roof terraces. These will provide green communal space and welcome pollinating wildlife and absorb pollutants.

The Architects’ Journal

TDO wins approval for Skyroom’s first ‘airspace’ homes scheme

Wallpaper*

Look up: could the future of British housing be in the sky?

Visuals by Archetype and TDO