Dow Jones Architects

St Martin’s House is a new building providing living facilities and accommodation for homeless women in South London. Our project provides a shared living space and additional bedrooms, extending the services already provided on the site within a large semi-detached Victorian house. The site is run by The Connection at St Martin in the Fields, specialist in providing support for homeless people.

The project rebuilds a double garage at the end of the generous garden, so that the new building and the existing will enjoy a relationship across the garden. The ground floor kitchen and living space opens into the garden, with an arcade providing a threshold between the building and the garden, and a place to enjoy the garden in the rain.

The provision of the shared living space is key to providing a range of experiences and resources for residents, and will be used for organised events such as yoga and cooking sessions as well as an informal place to meet and relax.

Two new bedsits upstairs will bring the total residences on the site to 18. One will be wheelchair-accessible.

The new building also provides a counselling room for one-to-one conversations.

The site is located in a residential area and a Conservation Area. The building is designed with the larger ground floor plan contained within a brick garden wall, and the smaller upper floor plans set back in line with the neighbouring buildings.