FARADAY WORKS
Complex retrofit, extension and new build housing for multiple tenures within a local heritage area
FOR U+I AND LANDSEC
Part of the Charlton Riverside Masterplan, Faraday Works is an innovative mixed-use development in southeast London, adjacent to the Thames Barrier. The scheme is focused on creating a vibrant, sustainable community that combines residential, commercial, and community spaces within new and retrofit buildings.
Coffey has designed two buildings for the scheme: the Junction Box is a sensitive retrofit and extension of a listed Faraday Works’ building and the Faraday Building is a modern, mixed-use new build.
RESPONDING TO LIGHT
The Junction Box and the Faraday Building play a key role in enclosing and defining Pluto Gardens, the development’s lush interior courtyard. Their massing is designed to maximise daylight and sunlight, ensuring the play space remains bright and inviting. Meanwhile, the extended L-shaped ground floor provides a sense of protection and enclosure, enhancing the courtyard’s intimacy and usability.
REVEALING AND AMPLIFYING HERITAGE
From 1863, the Faraday Works site was home to the Siemens Brothers’ first British factory and there remains a strong historical narrative running across the site today.
Previously a place to manufacture and assemble telegraph junction boxes, our plans celebrate, restore and enhance the heritage of the site with form, material choice and a light industrial aesthetic.
JUNCTION BOX: AN INDUSTRIAL LANDMARK REIMAGINED
Built in 1925-26, the Junction Box is a locally listed building named after its original function within the Siemens Brothers Telegraph Works, where telegraph junction boxes were manufactured and assembled.
The building enjoys stunning views - northward over the River Thames and the City of London, and southward toward Charlton.
The Junction Box will house six light industrial workshop units on the ground floor, with 69 residential units above, blending its rich industrial heritage with modern living and creative workspaces.
A NEW ROOFSCAPE
The roof extension draws directly from the facade grid of the existing building, using the bay width between brick piers as its modular basis. A castellated ‘hit and miss’ approach creates an articulated roofline, reducing visual mass. The ‘missed’ modules provide space for roof terraces with exceptional light and views.
Architecturally, the extension is designed to be distinct from the original building, avoiding replication or industrial pastiche.
THE FARADAY BUILDING
The Faraday Building is a newly designed linear block positioned beside the Junction Box, overlooking Faraday Way, Unity Square, and Pluto Gardens.
It features two light industrial workshop units at ground level, alongside a dedicated community-use space. Above, it houses all the affordable homes within the development, creating a vibrant, mixed-use environment that blends industry, community, and residential living.
LOCATION
London
SIZE
141 homes
STATUS
Planning submitted
CLIENT
U+I and Landsec