At Oxford Road we sought to engender a positive social dynamic through architecture. As such, the plan is arranged around shared access routes, overlooked by kitchen windows to provide passive surveillance without compromising residents’ sense of privacy in living rooms and bedrooms. Houses facing directly onto the public realm have a privacy zone to the front, which comprises a metre cupboard, bicycle or bin store, with a threshold of plants.

To draw in abundant light, a clerestory window runs the length of the street, punctuating the upper storey from the ground and offering significant light levels to the living spaces at ground floor. A colourful palette was selected for the aluminium cladding at ground level and complementary coloured zinc panelling was added to the upper level. The playfulness of the coloured planes creates a distinct composition of individual homes whilst at the same time expressing a connected community. The result is a collaged, animated street with identity for the residents.