City NorthWe were appointed post planning to review and develop the approved scheme by Benson & Forsyth. Several adjustments were proposed and approved within the confines of the original application. These addressed key technical challenges and improved efficiency throughout. For example, working adjacent to live railways and underground including incorporating station entrance, integrating requirements of numerous stakeholders, including LUL, Network Rail, Cinema operator, retail tenants, social housing provider, health club operator, a cinema construction adjacent to surface and underground railways and below residential units; acoustic and vibration isolation and optimising the inherited Planning scheme for detailed design and buildability.The scheme was designed to create a new focus and a new sense of place for Finsbury Park, acting as a catalyst for the wider regeneration and assisting in improving the image of Finsbury Park as a whole.The new building is an intensively mixed-use district centre development with an integrated station entrance and street. The scheme consists of a podium building with various commercial uses, including a gym, a multiscreen cinema, retail, and office units at ground, first and part second floor levels. A 10-storey linear building and two 21-storey landmark towers all provide residential accommodation which offer dramatic and extensive views over London from most apartments. The new scheme delivers 355 Residential Units, 47 of them affordable (27% by habitable room) and 132,105 sq. Ft. of commercial space, split into 14 units.Precast concrete and unitised cladding were adopted to enable safe and efficient construction in proximity of railways and Ground Portland Stone was used in the outer layer to produce a high-quality integral finish. The large, exposed south facing façade needed effective solar control, which was provided by a screen of aluminium aerofoil blades fixed to a steel exoskeleton. The aerofoil blades optimise the views towards London, whilst minimising solar gain, to avoid overheating. The public realm has been designed to link and incorporate the scheme into the surrounding urban fabric.Prominent and striking in design the new development dramatically signposts the centre of the Finsbury Park district and provides many facilities for the local population, businesses, and residents.Client: Telford HomesContact: Martin Touska, Rupert AndersonSectors: Regeneration Residential Transport