Self-build social housing with CLT.

The massing of the proposal comprises three buildings on the Kingsland Road in Hackney and is distinctly public in nature. As a collection, they define the edge to an east-facing planted public courtyard that is orientated towards maximising eastern morning light.

The project aims to provide open forms of living that are typically neglected in developer-led proposals. To achieve a system capable of self-building, the plan layout and service routes are designed to support multiple unit configurations and allow the self builder to undertake the entire internal works past the shell and core provided by a professional contractor. 

The CLT for the floor and ceilings is used in single span and exposed on the ceilings. A c-section core provided in each apartment gives lateral stability and contains the services for the toilets, kitchens and risers, which are stacked vertically. Glulam beams and joist span from the internal CLT cores to allow a zone for possible vertical expansion.

Four units within the building can be expanded vertically to become generous four- or five-bedroom houses. Notched glulam beams and joists above the central zone of the plan can be removed by the self builders, and provide a space to construct an internal stair, with generous living spaces provided on the upper floor.