Situated on Glebe Place in Chelsea, our Client wanted to create a comprehensive Super Prime luxury development involving three major components, namely the conversion of a School, and two new build villas, creating nine luxury dwellings in total, set within the grounds and retained walls of the former Edwardian school building.
Anthony Collett, Founder of Collett-Zarzycki
Interior Designer
Formation Architects were appointed as Executive Architect to lead the complex construction delivery of nine residences in total. The Client chose to work with seven signature interior designers through to a fully fitted and dressed scheme for each dwelling, so a large part of our role was to coordinate and work in very close collaboration with the designers Collett-Zarzycki, Gumuchdjian Architects and seven additional interior designers, Tom Stuart-Smith was appointed to landscape the one acre of land.
Alongside coordinating the design teams, we also worked in close collaboration with the main contractors Multiplex and structural engineers AKTII. The original Edwardian school has been extended and converted from the existing five-storey brick building into seven extensive luxury apartments; including a roof extension and excavation to form a subterranean and lower ground levels to accommodate plant, parking spaces and private leisure facilities, accessed via car lift. Significant elements of the existing brick façades have been maintained and restored.
At the same time, two new build single family homes, were constructed within the grounds. One of these features a two ton “guillotine” window – the largest of its kind in Europe.
Given the complexity of the project and large number of designers, contractors and engineers involved, not to mention the exceptionally high level of finish and specification for a such a Super Prime development, it required thousands of technical drawings to be created and every unique detail to be thoroughly thought through, discussed and coordinated with all the teams. Integrating the services into such a highly specified design and finish was a challenge, they have been carefully designed and integrated, so they appear to be invisible.
This exceptional scheme posed many challenges. Formation Architects had a leading role to ensure that a smooth delivery of a such a highly bespoke property has run smoothly with design management being a key factor in our success in its final delivery.
Britta Harper, Client
