The brief, led by M&E engineers Max Fordham, required us to design the enclosures and ancillary structures to house nine air source heat pumps, a plant room, an LV switch room, and a new UKPN substation. The site sits in the southern corner of Agar Grove Open Space, tucked against the boundary wall that separates the estate from the Mildmay overground line. Positioning here exploits the natural fall in ground level: the enclosure sits at a lower datum than the surrounding landscape, keeping its apparent height well below the existing railings when viewed from residents' balconies.

Acoustic panels on a secondary steel frame line the north and east boundaries of the enclosure, reducing noise from the heat pumps to levels compliant with Camden's environmental health guidance. The 3-metre welded mesh security fence doubles as a trellis for climbing plants that will progressively form a green screen around the perimeter, integrating the enclosure within the existing landscape over time. Both the plant room and the LV switch room are rendered in white to match the estate's defining material character, with species-rich green roofs above to deliver the required 10% biodiversity net gain.

The location itself emerged directly from community engagement. The Maiden Lane Estate Tenants' and Residents' Association proposed this corner of Agar Grove over the two options initially tested in pre-application discussions with Camden, and the design has been developed in close consultation with residents throughout.

Planning was approved February 2026.