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The Malvern

The Malvern is a new-build residential block of ten two-bedroom apartments in Notting Hill, West London. Named after the non-descript pub that once occupied the site, the building provides a new accent to the street.

The compact glazed black brick construction gives it the appearance of a glossy cube at the end of the quiet residential cul-de-sac, with the oblique facades reflecting the mood of the sky. Light pressed metal balconies arrayed on the north and south facades add to the subdued utilitarian aesthetic and upper floor apartments offer views of Erno Goldfinger’s impressive Trellick Tower half a kilometre to the north.

As with all commercial development, many of the parameters were closely controlled by a myriad of stakeholders including agents and funders however The Malvern pulls these numerous divergent strands together into a bold and simple architectural language.

“Blocky and shining black, studded with bold balconies and flush windows, the neighbours have for an unapologetically modern flourish on the street corner.”

Architecture Today 200, August 2009
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James Gorst’s work has helped to heal one of the most unnecessary and painful wounds in contemporary British architecture: between the traditionalists and the modernists. Like Louis Kahn in the United States or Peter Zumthor in Switzerland, Gorst reminds us that modernism can be beautifully reconciled with the underlying principles of classicism and that modern materials and idioms can carry all the elegance, dignity and grandeur associated with historical masterpieces.

Alain de Botton

© 2023 James Gorst Architects. All rights reserved.

Design: Tom Green Design. Build: Designagogo.