At Elsdale Street, GPAD took an existing part single, part two-storey art deco doctor’s surgery, and designed a contemporary extension to provide eight residences, occupying part of the first floor and the entire second and third floors. The NHS surgery remained open for the entirety of the work, made possible by the design team, construction team, and those at the surgery and their problem solving and collaborative approach.

The extension to the building is clad in black zinc, providing a sharp contrast to the existing building whilst at the same time recognising the industrial heritage of a number of other buildings in the area. The curved profile of the zinc was unique at the time of the project, and provides a texture and pattern to the extension, allowing for clean and contemporary junctions around openings and defining where the old meets the new.

As well as providing external visual appeal, the cladding is also designed to provide interest for residents. In areas, it is perforated to provide views from the terraces, as well as to form an attractive entrance space to the flats. These perforations also act to light the facade in an absorbing way at night. This is particularly true in the stair core, which is open to the elements but contained within the perforated cladding; acting as a transition space between the outside and the internal flats, the cladding creates a constantly shifting space that is lit in different ways both during the day and throughout the year. The project received a Special Mention in the Archizinc Trophy competition in the Collective Housing category for its use of zinc corrugated cladding.

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