The site is located on the outskirts of Walsall town centre in a suburban area with links to the town centre and Birmingham City Centre. It comprises an existing two storey building with a pitched roof set at an angle across the corner of the junction opposite a traffic island. The building was originally constructed as four retail shops with living accommodation above but has subsequently been converted for entirely residential purposes. The proposal has been developed to create a masterplan that is site specific. We have used a nolliplan of the local area to continue the rythmn of the adjacent buildings. By separating the building into three separate blocks the footprint relates to its context and reduces its impact with regards to massing and scale reflecting the language of the immediate area.

All apartments have been carefully designed so that they are dual aspect to provide natural surveillance to the area, provide visual relief and enable cross ventilation. Accommodation has been designed for specific groups including consideration for elderly and disabled people to achieve a mixed community. This scheme illustrates that good housing is more than the individual building. Other factors such as traffic links, urban planning, accessibility to public facilities, building access as well as the layout and design of green spaces around and between buildings impact the quality of the living space and social interaction of the inhabitants.