An apartment building situated 30cm from a railway viaduct may seem unlikely, but Solidspace Developments commissioned dRMM to design one based on an idea for a new housing typology for brownfield sites, a hybrid of the European horizontal apartment and the English vertical terrace house. The building was conceived as 'inside-out'; it appears to be a wooden coat over a concrete frame but closer inspection reveals it to be all concrete. Externally, the walls are clad with a fibrous cement mock-timber rain screen of augmenting proportions. Internally, they are textured concrete. Each apartment is organised as a large, open double-height living space, with adjacent bedrooms and stairs forming a buffer to the railway. The development transformed a derelict site to create homes that offer light, air, security and an oasis in an inner city environment. No. One Centaur Street has received several awards including RIBA London Building of the Year 2003.

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