![#](https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2018%2F03%2FRathboneSquare-cEdmindSumner-8.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=210&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=210&s=265f0dd8511f766aa671d656e27c3f87 210w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2018%2F03%2FRathboneSquare-cEdmindSumner-8.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=419&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=420&s=0c72f23505f04f18a28364446e6a48e2 420w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2018%2F03%2FRathboneSquare-cEdmindSumner-8.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=767&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=768&s=6b2c3e3315dfed1955781bc618181b85 768w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2018%2F03%2FRathboneSquare-cEdmindSumner-8.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=1022&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1024&s=effc3e47b125271e84993077b393b4ae 1024w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2018%2F03%2FRathboneSquare-cEdmindSumner-8.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=1398&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1400&s=5e45531e60e1c2e427b1b9018fb0177d 1400w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2018%2F03%2FRathboneSquare-cEdmindSumner-8.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=1597&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1600&s=b2e3521fe93c46254a36019601ca5e25 1600w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2018%2F03%2FRathboneSquare-cEdmindSumner-8.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=1917&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1920&s=83cf5a8f0aeb4fc0d25b2bf377a16f23 1920w)
The proportions of these passageways vary too: one is narrower, with a glass bridge that connects the residential elements to the north and west of the site, while the other is broader. The ceramic archways are punctuated by windows that allow glimpses into the retail units behind.
The building and routes have deliberately been designed as the backdrop to the garden, with glazed ceramic brickwork reflecting the colours and seasons, and the passageways providing a glimpse of the sensory experience beyond and providing a heightened sense of arrival.
The 1,800m2 garden complements the architecture with a series of spaces that include a rich planting palette, water features and public seating. A central lawn is framed by semi-mature trees, shrubs and planting. The lawn rises gently towards a tactile curved wooden bench that divides the lawn from the planting, its dark colour contrasting with the surrounding planting and stone.
![#](https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2018%2F03%2FRathboneSquare-cMake-10.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=140&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=210&s=33ce75306b4c49fc57e490e6ca748932 210w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2018%2F03%2FRathboneSquare-cMake-10.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=280&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=420&s=09caf85d5b2273acd66269aa7c815cec 420w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2018%2F03%2FRathboneSquare-cMake-10.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=512&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=768&s=965eca1a1f9746514ee78722cac3ed56 768w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2018%2F03%2FRathboneSquare-cMake-10.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=683&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1024&s=44d71f549ee354478d385027577929e4 1024w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2018%2F03%2FRathboneSquare-cMake-10.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=933&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1400&s=52b5c85920c4cc73405dc9af46740bee 1400w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2018%2F03%2FRathboneSquare-cMake-10.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=1067&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1600&s=193539f3193ef698591d9c7e3491980d 1600w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2018%2F03%2FRathboneSquare-cMake-10.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=1280&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1920&s=68a502f07c5641beebb8354d2605df59 1920w)
The buildings’ reach nine storeys at its tallest on the northern side and stepping down to stitch in with the eclectic Fitzrovian architecture, which mixes Victorian, Georgian and Edwardian styles.
The facade has been broken down into vertical elements to address the street. Likewise, the uses are contextual with the commercial elements on the south side of the plot and the apartments and retail linked to the residential areas to the north. The massing on the south-west side is stepped to draw light into the garden during the afternoon and evening.
Brick, ceramics and specialist metals form the material palette, picking up on the rich detailing in the area. It is largely monochrome, promoting smooth, clean lines and allowing the garden and the jade green passageways to be the main feature. The street-facing elements have a clay-faced brick that is a similar tone but without the glazed finish of the internal facing bricks. The proportions of the bricks are longer than average, with recessed horizontal mortar joints, while the vertical joint is flush to emphasise the strong sense of horizontality in the materials. The uppermost floors step back from the street line and are clad in a dark bronze anodised aluminium. This spills down to provide a material distinction that divides and connects the different uses.
The materials and their proportions have been selected to express the uses of the building. The scale of the commercial element – fully let to Facebook for its UK headquarters – is much bigger, with large linear picture windows and full-width dappled, stainless steel spandrel panels. In contrast, the residential element has more appropriately sized glazing, and is far more tactile and playful. The ceramics are light in colour; some are handmade, some are pressed, and some are extruded to give a variety of finishes, reflections and shadows, but each serves to show a certain level of detail and quality.
![#](https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2018%2F03%2FRathboneSquare-cEdmindSumner-1.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=175&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=210&s=a493efcd9dc9d309973df755ad530bcc 210w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2018%2F03%2FRathboneSquare-cEdmindSumner-1.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=350&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=420&s=24bc8e0516f109da1883c132ab729c4e 420w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2018%2F03%2FRathboneSquare-cEdmindSumner-1.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=640&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=768&s=412e3f20fd575656ca987a339105d3ac 768w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2018%2F03%2FRathboneSquare-cEdmindSumner-1.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=853&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1024&s=ce695909290e132b282856dc1a4b3cf7 1024w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2018%2F03%2FRathboneSquare-cEdmindSumner-1.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=1167&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1400&s=563244420b7c9425d4fc259991be2b57 1400w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2018%2F03%2FRathboneSquare-cEdmindSumner-1.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=1333&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1600&s=1e2051bd8fa624940fb38a91fb1b68c4 1600w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2018%2F03%2FRathboneSquare-cEdmindSumner-1.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=1600&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1920&s=30647ef4a1c48b5890ba702d098017f5 1920w)
There are 160 apartments in total, with 50 different types to minimise repetition and add a sense of uniqueness. Apartments have their own outside space, be it a balcony or a terrace; these are expressed with either a crisp glass balustrade on the upper levels or with rolled, ribbed, ceramic balconies with steel spindles and crafted timber handrails.
Graham Longman, project architect, said: “This project is indicative of a London that is changing –adapting for Crossrail but also adapting for people. It has successfully combined and expressed a number of uses and added value – not only for the end-users but also the general public, through the delivery of a new, publicly accessible space at its heart. We look forward to seeing it evolve over the coming years.”
![#](https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2018%2F03%2FRathboneSquare-cMake-4.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=118&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=210&s=b55cceaa9dcea31558c9659d291d13ea 210w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2018%2F03%2FRathboneSquare-cMake-4.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=236&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=420&s=379bd03be3f5f3f4b0108ce0b96b3602 420w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2018%2F03%2FRathboneSquare-cMake-4.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=432&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=768&s=76d65e529505364c4557c1e0627be1f8 768w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2018%2F03%2FRathboneSquare-cMake-4.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=576&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1024&s=6d1884251094e68b9cde47d8a83e2fb4 1024w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2018%2F03%2FRathboneSquare-cMake-4.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=787&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1400&s=69b3046aeabde6180f9b410da8fbbd13 1400w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2018%2F03%2FRathboneSquare-cMake-4.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=899&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1600&s=7c871b73bdb03db017058ab5ebd3d47b 1600w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2018%2F03%2FRathboneSquare-cMake-4.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=1079&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1920&s=87d9490a86edb2eead16b30ff93ebaad 1920w)
![#](https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2018%2F03%2FRathboneSquare_swimming-pool-cRobinGautier.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=225&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=210&s=d451444c1edeb29663ccd2b22822ebac 210w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2018%2F03%2FRathboneSquare_swimming-pool-cRobinGautier.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=451&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=420&s=ad181990efe0890a89bc8c07850bc44d 420w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2018%2F03%2FRathboneSquare_swimming-pool-cRobinGautier.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=824&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=768&s=cae7d7ae1d0edd4653aee198be40559c 768w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2018%2F03%2FRathboneSquare_swimming-pool-cRobinGautier.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=1099&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1024&s=162f4748f7bbbeebad4e6e336c65a87f 1024w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2018%2F03%2FRathboneSquare_swimming-pool-cRobinGautier.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=1503&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1400&s=0e23428bed918170264e1aa32634e72f 1400w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2018%2F03%2FRathboneSquare_swimming-pool-cRobinGautier.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=1717&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1600&s=54fe74a60ad071eee84c3754d701b84e 1600w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2018%2F03%2FRathboneSquare_swimming-pool-cRobinGautier.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=2061&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1920&s=7290d43fc9079646647181b59c925d88 1920w)
For further information please contact:
Sarah Worth or Liz Glassford
+44 (0)20 7636 5151
press@www.makearchitects.com