Aldermaston Wharf

10 new homes beside an historic canal

The development comprises 10 new residential units, the relocation of existing car parking for a visitor centre and relocation of the existing sewage pump station.

A large proportion of the site fronts the Kennet and Avon Canal. The layout maximizes the number of houses that benefits from this attractive waterside amenity.

A respectful approach was taken in relation to the siting of the new buildings and their relationship with the existing, listed Visitor Centre and Toll office. This dynamic also informed the materials and scale of the design.

The site also contains a number of constraints and abnormalities which has an influence on the layout. These include the sewage pump station, which was relocated as part of the development, access to the existing electrical substation, the retention of existing trees and accommodating the visitors car park associated with the Visitors Centre.

The site consists of 3 individual terraces (a mixture of 1.5, 2 and 2.5 storeys in height) with formal spaces to the front and more private spaces to the rear, with associated car parking.

The arrangement of the individual buildings has been designed to reflect the shape of the site, the site constraints and the site context. However, because of the nature of the site, all building frontages are relatively public in the sense that they either face the canal tow-path, Basingstoke Road or parking courts. The designs have responded to all these factors whilst responding to the historic setting.