RCKa was appointed by East Thames Group (ETG) to design this residential scheme on the underused Wood Street Library car park in Walthamstow. The site is owned by the London Borough of Waltham Forest which has been granted Mayoral funding for a nine unit supported living block and five three and four bed shared ownership family homes. ETG is developing the site for Waltham Forest and building an additional six two bedroom shared ownership apartments. The scheme comprises two blocks, an apartment block fronting onto Forest Road and the mews housing within the site. Forest Road is a busy dual carriageway which creates a rather hostile environment especially when taken into context with the disused office building and DIY store car park on the opposite side of the road. For this reason, we have focused all entrances to the Forest Road block on the southern elevation so that they are protected from the harsh environment of the road and create a secure and active frontage to the mews. The southern elevation has a ‘window walling’ system which creates a light and active backdrop to the mews. The elevation is layered with the glazed window wall as the background linked to an access deck by the private balconies to each apartment. From Forest Road, passing through a two storey entrance between the supported living office and the duplexes, the scheme opens up into a mews courtyard with the houses, parking court and communal shared space. The opening draws the eye and allow views through the site from Forest Road to the locally listed Woodside Primary Academy as well as the mews courtyard.