Scheme features three buildings arranged around a Japanese-style garden designed by landscape artist Takeshi Nagasaki
North London practice Archanaeum has completed a regeneration of a historic police station in Haringey into 29 homes with a Japanese-inspired communal garden.
The late 19th century Hornsey Police Station closed in 2021 and has now been repurposed as housing with two contemporary blocks added to the site.
The police station once formed part of a wider civic complex that included a fire station and public library. These neighbouring buildings were demolished in the 1960s to make way for a surface car park, leaving the Victorian police station as an isolated building.
Archanaeum said the site presented an opportunity to restore a sense of place with a new architectural composition centred on the former police station.
The Finchley-based practice developed an approach centred on a concept which it called “weaving the past and the present”, which explored how contemporary architecture could establish a “meaningful dialogue with the sites Victorian heritage without restoring to historical imitation”.
It drew inspiration from the decorative brickwork of the police station to inform its material approach to the new buildings, creating a contemporary interpretation of Victorian textural techniques and craftsmanship.
The buildings surround a communal garden designed by Japanese landscape artist Takeshi Nagasaki which combines carefully composed planting, natural materials and bespoke hand-carved elements to create a sequence of calm and informal spaces.
Archanaeum said: ”Together, the architecture and landscape establish a cohesive residential environment that celebrates the site’s history while introducing a contemporary identity.
“Dixon Gardens demonstrates how the regeneration of historic urban sites can balance architectural continuity with innovation, creating a new chapter in the life of a former civic landmark.”
The scheme includes a mix of apartments and houses with eight affordable homes.
Postscript
All images are credited to Nick Gutteridge
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