In 2020 Fiona Grady was selected by Associate Architect Alejandro Carrajo, DLA Architects to design a series of perforated metal and cast red concrete panels for a new housing development in London. All of the decorative stoneware and metal window panels on the buildings facade follow Fiona's designs to add unique character, as illustrated in these images.
Located in the town centre of Wimbledon, this mixed-use development combines a 121-room YMCA hostel, and associated gym, café and offices with 135 new homes and ground floor retail spaces, positioned adjacent to two prominent character areas, The Broadway and South Park.
The project is a joint venture between the developer Thornsett and the St Paul's Group YMCA - replacing an existing hostel with a new facility. They worked closely with the planning team at the London Borough of Merton to develop a design that marked this gateway to the town centre with an architectural approach that referenced the unique character of the buildings along the Broadway. This was achieved by designing a two storey colonnade with our bespoke design of 'flower' - a unique casting design.
The design team collaborated with Fiona Grady who created the patterns in the horizontal elements and perforated panels in the YMCA rooms to link the proposal with the history of Wimbledon and the YMCA as well as to add texture and richness to the overall appearance of the proposal. The motifs in Fiona's designs reference the triangle symbol that is found in the YMCA logo over the decades which is arranged as a 'sail' shape in homage to the sails of Wimbledon's windmill tucked away in the Common - an often overlooked feature of the famous postcode.
"We're delighted to complete phase 1 of this landmark project, which enables us to support vulnerable and young people, as well as offer facilities that will benefit the whole community. Having worked with DLA Architecture on the award-winning Hackney Gardens project, we were well aware of the team's design excellence and contextual approach which, in this case, has resulted in a high-quality and commercially viable scheme that fits well with the local landscape." - Mitchell Brand, Director of Land and Marketing, Thornsett
"We're exceptionally proud that this brand new YMCA Wimbledon provides 121 places for young and vulnerable people to call home, alongside a range of community facilities, including our inclusive health and wellbeing services. We're incredibly thankful to all our partners who have made this project possible including our developer, Thornsett, our architect DLA and construction partner, Neilcott, and to the Greater London Authority for its £8 million grant." - Richard James, CEO, YMCA St Paul's Group
"We are extremely pleased to have been involved in the design and delivery of this very important community asset in Wimbledon. It was very humbling to hear from one of the residents on how her life had been changed by the YMCA and how much of an improvement the new facilities are making to her life. Reflecting on the future needs of occupiers in line with the YMCA 's charitable ambitions, we believe that we have delivered a future-proof, highly sustainable new facility that aims to achieve a 100 per cent carbon reduction and will be enhancing Wimbledon's next generation of first-time buyers with phase 2 of the project." - Alejandro Carrajo, Associate, DLA Architecture