The Brentford Lock West residential development creates a distinctive presence along the Grand Union Canal in West London. The scheme, developed in three phases by Waterside Places (a joint venture between Muse Developments and Canal & River Trust) connects directly to the canal’s revitalised tow path, which is animated with barges and house boats.

White Ink were appointed to develop Mae Architects’ original design intent of Phase 2 and deliver the project on site. White Ink’s role was to use our technical knowledge of complex projects and expertise of high-end apartment design to review and develop the overall scheme design to ensure the project was financially feasible and deliverable.

This phase, comprising two buildings – Copland Court (Block E) and Isambard Court (Block F) – provides 157 high specification apartments and townhouses configured in six main cores over a basement carpark.

Working closely with the client, contractor and design team, White Ink completely rationalised the structural design of the basement and reconfigured apartment layouts to improve efficiency and to achieve a viable, buildable and compliant design solution, whilst retaining all aspects of the original design intent/brief and achieving the specified high quality of materials, finishes and fit-out.

The scale and massing of the completed scheme with its sawtooth roof profile is reminiscent of the previously existing canal-side warehouses. Materials, such as facing brickwork, pre-cast concrete and painted metalwork, further reflect the industrial nature of canal-side architecture.

Copland Court, adjacent to the canal, provides 42 apartments, whilst Isambard Court includes 109 apartments and 6 exclusive 4-storey townhouses overlooking the central landscaped courtyard.

Opportunities for sustainable design were optimised to include photovoltaic panels at roof level and sedum roofs and terraces. The development achieved Code for Sustainable Homes Level 4.