The location for the apartment buildings lies within the former hospital site of Athlone House and borders London's Hampstead Heath. The new masterplan for the site consists of several components, including the re-establishment of Athlone House as a single residential entity, the reconstruction of peripheral buildings significant to Hampstead Lane to the north of the site, and the incorporation of new apartment buildings within the eastern section of the site. These new and retained elements reside within a new landscaped context that builds on the existing qualities of the site while responding to the strong presence of the Heath beyond.
The apartments take the form of three separate buildings, three villas in a landscape. Their placement is driven by the desire to re-establish views towards the Heath from Hampstead Lane. This is achieved by a new garden foreground between Athlone House and the new apartment buildings to the east. The three-dimensional composition of the buildings is a consequence of the immediate topography and the desire to retain a number of large tree specimens. Lower roof heights to the north of the site address the heights of the existing buildings and the semi-rural scale of Hampstead Lane. Taller volumes are positioned deeper into the site where the ground slopes away to the Heath.
Within the buildings, the arrangement of apartments utilizes a single core to serve multiple units on a given floor. Entrances to each apartment are reached by a lobby connected to lifts and stairs. Each apartment is organized around a central hall offering access to all rooms. The living and dining areas are located at the extremities of each building with large terraces situated at the corners of the buildings. The thick wall used for the external facade is employed as either storage depth within rooms or to generate deep-set floor-to-ceiling windows that provide balconies for bedrooms. The form and shape of the buildings and the differing window conditions conceive the overall arrangement as a family of three sculptural blocks. Using fine ashlar stone as a single material, the project aims to establish a carved-out quality. A large house typology furthered by chimney stacks and recessed entrances places the project firmly within the context of Hampstead and Highgate's long domestic heritage.