MacFarlane Place, part of the Television Centre masterplan, provides 142 affordable homes across two buildings, including 35 London Living Rents home for key workers. Located between Wood Lane bus station and a London Underground viaduct, it features two public spaces. The all-electric project minimises energy bills with efficient ventilation, underfloor heating and air-source heat pumps. Additionally, 500 external shutters help regulate overheating, ensuring energy efficiency and comfort.

 

Maccreanor Lavington

Gillespies 

ARUP 

Gerald Eve 

 

Describe the context of this initiative or project, its neighbourhood and the community it serves.

 

Previously housing a car park for staff at Television Centre, the MacFarlane Place site sits between Wood Lane bus Station and a London Underground viaduct. Across two buildings, the project provides 142 affordable-tenure homes along with two public spaces: the reinstated MacFarlane Place, and a small square at the northernmost point of the site. The main residential entrances face the reintroduced street, producing an active and animated public space and arrival point. The project provides much-need affordable-tenure homes for the local area, including 35 at London Living Rents for key workers, allowing a wide section of the community to benefit from the wider regeneration of White City. The project is part of the wider Television Centre masterplan which includes the refurbishment of the former-BBC buildings and several new additions. The forthcoming masterplan will reintegrate areas previously BBC-only areas into the public realm with MacFarlane Place forming a gateway to Phase 2. By reintroducing the previous street pattern, the project allows the site to reconnect with its context and encourages pedestrian and cycle movement.

 

 Describe the intervention you’ve made, including its purpose and motivation. How will it contribute to climate resilience?

 

The buildings’ proximity to the trainline and Wood Lane placed limitations of the use of windows for nighttime ventilation to combat overheating. Window sizes were calculated to minimise solar gain while achieving adequate levels of daylight. To provide residents with control over the solar gain to their homes, external shutters were integrated into all residential windows. With over 500 shutters, this is the largest residential installation of its type in the UK and provides an innovative solution to the UK’s increasing summertime temperatures. Approved Document Part O has since introduced a requirement to reduce overheating risk in-line with the TM59 methodology. As affordable-tenure housing, active measures of cooling with associated increases in energy bills were avoided to minimise the financial impact on residents. By accommodating the UK’s changing climate through the integration of external shutters, the design ensures the buildings’ adaptability under future conditions. Coupled with hardwearing, natural finishes to external and internal communal areas, the buildings’ longevity is a key feature.

 

Explain the environmental and social impact of the project.

 

With over 300,000 people on housing waiting lists across London and over 3,000 in London Borough of Hammersmith and Fultham alone, the need for affordable-tenure housing is clear. As well as providing homes, MacFarlane Place also minimises energy bills, with efficient mechanical ventilation with heat recovery and underfloor heating to all tenures. The project is all-electric, with air-source heatpumps located at roof level providing heating and hot water to the residents. Across the two buildings, the project averages a Whole Life Carbon figure of 799kg/CO2e/m2, inline with the RIBA 2025 Targets. This was achieved through use of GGBS as cement-replacement in the concrete frame and avoiding transfer structure wherever possible. Internal finishes were assessed against a Healthy Materials List to ensure a safe internal environment. Post-occupancy studies, including the residents’ use of the external shutters, will be undertaken after one year of occupation.