Fairbank Estate Hoxton N1
Lynch Architects have designed 70 new homes at the Fairbank Estate in Hoxton for Hackney Council. The site includes an area at the base of an 18 storey 1960s tower, Thaxted Court, on the corner of Murray Grove and East Road in Hoxton, currently occupied by a 2 story car park structure. The problem of the integration of 1960s towers into a hospitable streetscape seems to be a recurring theme in our work. We lived and worked in Hoxton during the 1990s and ‘00s and are very familiar with the problems that arise from the non-determinate landscapes around its modernist housing blocks, some of which provide accommodation of a very high standard. Our aim is to learn from these examples, and to contribute to the existing and emerging urban conditions. We propose to "ground" the neighbouring buildings in a legible urban form made up of 3 six story new residential blocks, situated in a sequence of courtyards and gardens designed in collaboration with Muf art/architecture and Robert Bray Associates. Planning consent was granted in 2021, and the design was developed in 2023-4 to reflect changes to the Building Regulations. Lynch Architects are now working for Hackney as "Design Guardians" as the contractor develops the scheme as a Design Build Contract. Construction is expected to start on site in 2025 and be completed in 2027.
