MWA were asked to prepare designs for a 300,000 sqft masterplan for the Archway Campus site in the London Borough of Islington.
The site has served as a workhouse infirmary, NHS hospital and a university campus. The Holborn Union Building was constructed between 1877-79 as the Holborn and Finsbury Union Workhouse Infirmary and was designed by Henry Saxon Snell & Sons. The Holborn Union infirmary is locally listed and the site is designated as its own conservation area. Archway Campus presents a unique development opportunity within the London Borough of Islington with a potential for several uses on site – including residential, student and commercial.
The site sits at the pivot point of three distinct character areas, which have informed the design and mix of uses of MWA’s proposals. The proposed scheme aims to restore the historical context to the original architects vision. Research into the geometry and scale of Henry Saxon Snell’s designs presents an opportunity to re-establish the original grid and reinstate historic gardens. The proposal sits within a central cluster of built towers in Archway, responding to surrounding building heights. By raising the southern building we create a key public realm intersection which allows for permeability across the site to Highgate Hill and Archway Road.
