Project: Repton Gardens
Location: United Kingdom
Architect: GRID Architects via Quintain
Size: 4100 m²
Colours: DSGN Absolute 965
Repton Gardens: Green living in more ways than one
Repton Gardens represents a significant piece in a decade long regeneration puzzle that has completely transformed London’s Wembley Park neighbourhood. Creating close to 400 new homes, including affordable accommodation options infused throughout, this build-to-rent project was conceived with a green mission in mind – on a literal, figurative, and practical level.
The Wembley Park development project in North-West London started over twenty years ago. Then, the area around Wembley Stadium and OVO Arena Wembley was a vast expanse of tarmac. It was nothing to look at and definitely not at all sustainable. Quintain, the development team, had a vision for a neighbourhood that would over time become a home to many as well as a destination draw within London. Two decades on, the district features local restaurants, independent retailers, a renowned theatre, charming parks, and 5,000 residential dwellings.
The Repton Gardens apartments were conceived through a lens of botanical inspiration. Thoughtful design has culminated in wonderful outdoor gardens for residents to enjoy from greenery and plant imagery woven throughout the interior design. With lush plants, vibrant green hues, and botanical motifs.
This literal green interpretation was underpinned by an acceleration towards a greener approach within Quintain’s development work.
“We started a fairly early march to get to greener buildings and more sustainable outcomes through the Repton Gardens project. We tested a lot of our thinking and theories, putting all of our bes tbits together in one place. We made great steps there – steps we’ve now used on subsequent buildings that are literally coming out of the ground as we speak.” ~ Mark Simmons, Quintain’s Director of Project & Design Management
The carpet tile selection played a supporting role within the Repton Gardens project’s overarching design concept. Quintain opted for a fairly neutral grey design from the DSGN Absolute collection. The key was to find a pattern that would bring a degree of sophistication without looking overly complicated.
“They appear simple, but break up the surface of a carpet tile enough to be able to stitch in a replacement at any time in the future without drawing attention.”
The design team were eager to explore the flexibility and modularity of carpet tiles from a more creative stance.
Carpet tiles were paired with comfortBack recycled polyester felt backing. This gave a gentle bounce, and a cushioned sense of luxury, to the residents’ user experience. The comfortBack also factored into the overall sustainability story.
“In trying to reduce the amount of embodied carbon in our buildings, floor slabs are getting thinner, increasing sound transfer. As a result, underlays and acoustic performance are crucial to making that work, allowing you to reduce the concrete thickness wherever you can.” ~ Mark Simmons
Quintain architects are on an impressive journey towards Net Zero Carbon by 2040 – every possible gain in that direction is vital. Due to that commitment to sustainable change, the team are already gravitating towards newer carpet tile collections and innovative backings that will drive each future project closer.
