The world’s tallest modular towers, due to be built in south London, will have crime prevention features to the Secured by Design (SBD) standard. In Croydon, 101 George Street will see the construction of a 38-storey and a 44-storey tower, scaling 135 metres and providing 546 homes. Modules will start being craned in March 2019, with completion of the development due in May 2020.
An SBD-trained Designing Out Crime Officer (DOCO) from the Metropolitan Police worked with the architects at HTA Design LLP to develop the SBD principles considered in the planning application and incorporate SBD crime prevention techniques and security; to minimise the opportunities for crime. Physically, that means creating natural surveillance from the properties, besides the doors, windows and locks which meet Police Preferred Specification Standards; external lighting on all street frontages, landscaped areas and pedestrian routes; CCTV surveillance; secure maintenance and bike store access; planting edges kept to low level to avoid blind spots; and robust street furniture.
The architecture draws influences from the mid-century context while using the best of modern manufacture to create the world’s tallest modular building. The façades respond to variations in orientation, views and privacy that vary across the building and each tower has its own identity through subtle variations in proportion and material.
The homes in the towers have been designed for rent and will be managed onsite offering residents a 24/7 service. Shared amenities will include a podium garden, roof top gardens at the top of each tower, panoramic viewing walkway, gyms, residents lounge and private dining and event rooms.
The development will provide a new civic space for Croydon at ground level; a ‘woodland winter garden’ that will offer a new green space to George Street and create a gateway to an emerging cultural quarter. The ground floor also will have an art gallery space, a café and some flexible spaces.
