Daventry House

Location: Westminster, London
Client: Westminster City Council
Date: 2012 – Ongoing
Value: £28m
Awards: Housing Design Awards - Finalist 2015 New London Awards - Finalist 2014

We have designed a landmark Community Supported Housing scheme for elderly-people and a business enterprise building for Westminster City Council. The bold form of the building is a response to its strategic position on Lisson Grove.

The 60 homes, planned to meet HAPPI recommendations (Housing for an Ageing Population Panel for Innovation), will offer generous, accessible homes to the existing residents of Penn House. Westminster City Council’s brief requires the highest possible design and sustainability standards.

A 1300sq.m enterprise business space forms the base of the building and is designed to mediate the awkward topography of the site whilst creating a positive relationship to the street and tower above. A robust, industrial style interior allows flexible space for creative industries.

The enterprise space uses crisply detailed dark grey bricks, with light bronzed windows that offer a generous shopfront to the street, designed to contrast with the white brick residential tower above.

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Typical upper level residential floor plan

Time lapse video of construction (film: United Living)

Housing Design Awards shortlist for Daventry House Project Update

Daventry House, designed for Westminster City Council, has been shortlisted for a Housing Design Award 2024.
The Housing Design Award are the only awards that join the major built environment professions – RICS, RIBA and RTPI – with DLUHC, GLA, Homes England and major stakeholders, such as NHBC, in finding the best new places to live.
The Awards were launched by Nye Bevan in 1948, in the same sitting of Parliament as the NHS, to identify the best ideas among councils’ post-war rebuild. The awards were subsequently opened up to market sale homes in 1960 by Harold Macmillan.
April 2024
'Bringing dignity and joy to later living: Mæ's Daventry House project sets a whole new standard' Project Update

Our recently completed Daventry House for Westminster City Council is featured in this week's issue of Building Design magazine. In the article Ben Flatman reports on how Mæ is 'helping to define a new era for those who want to live independently as they get older'. He goes on to say 'This is housing that adds dignity and joy to later-years living. The interior finishes, generous spaces and communal amenities all contribute to a secure and enriching environment. And, by turning the supported housing into a local landmark, the council is signalling the priority that it attaches to this much-needed housing type.'
December 2023
Daventry House for Westminster City Council completes Project Update

On 13th July Westminster City Council, Mæ and United Living hosted a reception and tours of our newly completed Daventry House on Lisson Grove NW8 .

Debbie Jackson,Executive Director Growth Planning and Housing at Westminster City Council, Caroline Lewis Managing Director of United Living New Homes and Alex Ely Director of Mæ introduced the scheme, which forms part of the Church Street masterplan.

Daventry House is a fully affordable housing development with all homes provided for social rent and forms part of the Council’s Church Street Regeneration Programme. The scheme is delivering 60 high quality homes for older people and has been designed to meet the HAPPI framework (Housing for an Ageing Population Panel for Innovation). The homes provide generous, accessible accommodation with an emphasis on neighbourliness, while an enterprise centre provides for a richer mix of activity on the site, and supports local businesses as part of Westminster City Council’s wider programme to stimulate economic development in the north of the borough. The development sits at the scheme is at the forefront of the Council's Fairer Westminster strategy.
July 2023 View Project
Lisson Grove commences on site Project Update

Enabling works have begun on our competition winning Lisson Grove HAPPI housing scheme. The scheme has been designed for the City of Westminster and City West Homes and sits at a key junction on Lisson Grove. It will provide new accommodation for the residents of nearby Penn House, which will be replaced with a new mixed use health hub, also designed by Mæ. Working with contractor United Living the building will comprise 59 dwellings with shared communal facilities situated above a business enterprise space.
February 2016 View Project
Lisson Grove Housing Design Award finalist 2015 Project Update

Mæ are delighted to announce that Lisson Arches for the City of Westminster is a finalist for the 2015 Housing Design Awards. In addition our Agar Grove scheme for LB Camden (in collaboration with Hawkins\Brown) and Brentford Lock West Phase 2 for Waterside Places have also been shortlisted. The winners will be announced on 13 July.
May 2015 View Project
Mæ shortlisted for the New London Awards 2014 Practice News

Mæ have been shortlisted in two categories at the New London Awards. Firstly our Westminster healthcare centre and HAPPI housing project Lilestone Street & Lisson Arches has been shortlisted in the Health & Care category. Agar Grove, our London Borough of Camden estate regeneration scheme, in collaboration with Hawkins\Brown, is shortlisted in the Masterplanning category. The winners will be announced on 9th July.
June 2014 Read more
A month of planning consents Practice News

Mæ has had a busy month winning planning consent for 600 homes, 5000 sq.m healthcare, 2,500sq.m community and business space across three schemes.
Our Lisson Grove project for the City of Westminster was described by the committee as "An innovative landmark building with complex mix of uses that offers considerable community benefits". The elderly person housing scheme and enterprise space will start on site in September followed by the health hub.
Our collaborative Agar Grove scheme with Hawkins\Brown and Grant Associates for London Borough of Camden was cited as 'An exemplar application' and will deliver 500 new homes and UK's largest passive haus scheme.
April 2014 Read more