Modern London is being shaped by a coterie of colossal development companies, all of whom have access to vast sites, great portfolios of architectural talent and an uncanny knack for translating bricks and mortar into instant, epic profit. But what about the rest of us? In his new book, the developer Roger Zogolovitch implores us all to take a fresh look at the art of keeping it small.
Zogolovitch's company, Solidspace, has carved a name for itself by working with awkward, compact sites and for an intense, design-driven focus, from their first major project with dRMM through to recent collaborations with Groves Natcheva, MW Architects and Stephen Taylor. Zogolovitch's theory is that the small scale developer – be they first time buyers, housing collectives, ambitious architects or simply far-sighted fans of contemporary design – are best placed to make the city a liveable, human place.
Away from the mega-sites that re-cast whole districts in a shiny new way, Solidspace and its ilk are digging out the 'territory of the forgotten', using innovative design to transform the unpromising into the award-winning and, hopefully, making the whole thing pay its own way. This small-is-beautiful approach to finding sites, choosing talent and making buildings has yielded some remarkable results. If you're hankering after a new career, this could be a great place to start.
From the book: Case study 1: Centaur Street, forgotten land of the railway viaduct in Waterloo, 2000. Solidspace appointed dRMM architects for the development
Centaur Street was completed in 2003, a development of three zones including four-metre wide bathrooms, balconies and winter gardens
The interior of the Centaur Street development, which includes internal stairs linking levels
Case study 2: Stapleton Hall Road when it was purchased in 2006. The development, by architect Stephen Taylor, began in 2012
Stapleton Hall Road after its transformation in 2014: a butterfly plan 'eat live work' arrangement
Stapleton Hall Road interior – the build is arranged over seven half levels, rising around the stair
Case study 3: Solidspace purchased this space on Donaldson Road in 2004. The area was originally was used for parking and housed an electricity sub-station
The Groves Natcheva practice was appointed to build a detached family home – the Zog House – pictured here
Zog House has a triple height void, affording views of the upper levels of the house and the sky
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