Lowlands Road, Harrow
The project in pictures
A nine-storey co-living development on a constrained town-centre site
Lowlands Road, Harrow is a purpose-built co-living development on a constrained town-centre site in North West London. Planning permission was granted in 2021 for a nine-storey building with a basement level, delivering 104 high-quality co-living studios alongside a range of shared amenity spaces. Licata Building Systems supplied the external wall insulation façade solution for the development.
Designed to support modern urban living, the scheme provides residents with co-working areas, a ground-floor café, shared kitchens, lounges and landscaped external terraces throughout the building. It forms part of Harrow’s wider regeneration strategy, introducing a new residential typology while maintaining a strong architectural presence within the Greenhill ward.
The brief
Constructed on a particularly tight site bordered by the London Underground, a busy arterial road and neighbouring buildings, the project presented significant logistical and technical challenges. An innovative top-down construction methodology was adopted to enable the basement excavation and superstructure to progress efficiently within the restricted footprint.
The façade design required a system that balanced energy efficiency, acoustic performance and buildability, critical for a multi-storey residential building adjacent to the Underground and a busy road network, while supporting the overall architectural intent of the scheme.
The Licata system
Licata supplied a mineral wool external wall insulation system finished with brick slips. Mineral wool was selected for its high thermal efficiency and excellent acoustic performance, particularly suitable next to the Underground and a busy road. The brick slip finish achieved the appearance of traditional brickwork while keeping the façade lightweight, reducing structural loading and suiting the project’s top-down construction methodology.
The outcome
The completed façade plays a key role in the building’s performance and appearance, delivering a compliant, high-quality external envelope appropriate for a contemporary co-living development in Harrow. Careful detailing and junction coordination ensured seamless integration with the building’s structure and openings, producing a robust, energy-efficient and visually consistent finish that supports the long-term performance and architectural quality of the scheme.
Explore other projects
Have a similar project?
Speak to our technical team about specifying the right Licata system for your building.