{"id":770684,"date":"2025-02-03T08:48:46","date_gmt":"2025-02-03T08:48:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/?p=770684"},"modified":"2025-02-12T16:05:02","modified_gmt":"2025-02-12T16:05:02","slug":"pitman-tozers-thoroughly-moderne-mansion-block","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/buildings\/pitman-tozers-thoroughly-moderne-mansion-block","title":{"rendered":"Pitman Tozer\u2019s thoroughly moderne mansion block"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u2018It\u2019s the tenants\u2019 favourite block,\u2019 says an estate manager, as we approach the striped-brick flank of Bulrush Court across the small public space adjacent to it. Designed by Pitman Tozer Architects, it\u2019s the latest addition to the planned 965-unit Leaside Lock development in Tower Hamlets, masterplanned by Assael and developed by the Guinness Partnership together with Danescroft, which managed delivery of the scheme.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s1\">Pitman Tozer\u2019s connection with the site goes back to 2016-18 when, working with BPTW, it secured planning consent on it for 450 homes for developer Lindhill. After the site was sold to Guinness in 2018, the practice was retained to redesign this one block as 100 per cent affordable housing.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"breakout alignnone wp-image-772639 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.rt.emap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/01\/29122005\/KILO-0414-0003-scaled.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"819\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.rt.emap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/01\/29122005\/KILO-0414-0003-scaled.webp 2560w, https:\/\/cdn.rt.emap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/01\/29122005\/KILO-0414-0003-300x240.webp 300w, https:\/\/cdn.rt.emap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/01\/29122005\/KILO-0414-0003-1024x819.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.rt.emap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/01\/29122005\/KILO-0414-0003-768x614.webp 768w, https:\/\/cdn.rt.emap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/01\/29122005\/KILO-0414-0003-230x184.webp 230w, https:\/\/cdn.rt.emap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/01\/29122005\/KILO-0414-0003-150x120.webp 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s1\">The development sits to the north of Bromley-by-Bow station, next to where the north-south A12 Blackwall Tunnel approach crosses TfL\u2019s east-west District tube line. To the north-east it is bounded by the River Lea \u2013 hence the development\u2019s name \u2013 on its way to disgorge into the Thames further south at Limehouse.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s1\">The scheme is part of the Bromley-by-Bow South masterplan, one of the last chunks of land developed under the remit of the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) set up in the aftermath of the 2012 Olympic Games to oversee the development of a swathe of land dropping south from the Olympic Park along the River Lea. Previously occupied by light industry, this has gradually been displaced and redeveloped primarily for housing, together with commercial and retail space \u2013 with a mix, too, of retrofitted historic industrial buildings, such as the recent Three Mills Studios development by Gort Scott, which sits nearby.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s1\">The 500-unit first phase of the Leaside Lock scheme consisted of five linked blocks designed by Assael, varying in height between nine and 28 storeys, which effectively hug the edges of the site and deal with the challenging urban conditions of adjacent road and railway by placing the housing \u2013 primarily build-to-rent and shared ownership units \u2013 above a plinth of commercial and retail space.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"breakout alignnone wp-image-772636 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.rt.emap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/01\/29120041\/KILO-0414-0008-scaled.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"819\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.rt.emap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/01\/29120041\/KILO-0414-0008-scaled.webp 2560w, https:\/\/cdn.rt.emap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/01\/29120041\/KILO-0414-0008-300x240.webp 300w, https:\/\/cdn.rt.emap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/01\/29120041\/KILO-0414-0008-1024x819.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.rt.emap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/01\/29120041\/KILO-0414-0008-768x614.webp 768w, https:\/\/cdn.rt.emap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/01\/29120041\/KILO-0414-0008-230x184.webp 230w, https:\/\/cdn.rt.emap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/01\/29120041\/KILO-0414-0008-150x120.webp 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s1\">These blocks corral and shelter a small protected \u2018piazza\u2019 between them, which, still rather barren, has been carefully if minimally landscaped with high-quality finishes. It neatly incorporates services, such as an integrated below-level garbage collection system embedded in its periphery. The square creates a much-needed centre of gravity to the scheme in what is a relatively harsh urban environment.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s1\">The northern side of this square is now enclosed by the new Pitman Tozer-designed block, which accommodates at one end a generously proportioned, solidly fitted-out concierge\u2019s office that will serve the whole scheme.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>The block, phase two of the development, provides 144 affordable and social-rent units arranged over seven to nine storeys, which contributes to the almost 50 per cent affordable unit mix planned across the whole site. Phase three will see a series of blocks built out to the north-east along a route leading to the River Lea towpath.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s1\">Compared with the more faceted forms of the earlier blocks by Assael, with their variegated green and pink brick cladding, the new block\u2019s brick form appears more orthogonal and sober, an impression relieved by its window lines being picked out in a yellower brick and small horizontal striations between openings that lend it a rather mid-century look.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"breakout alignnone wp-image-772624 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.rt.emap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/01\/29112951\/Untitled-4.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.rt.emap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/01\/29112951\/Untitled-4.webp 2560w, https:\/\/cdn.rt.emap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/01\/29112951\/Untitled-4-300x200.webp 300w, https:\/\/cdn.rt.emap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/01\/29112951\/Untitled-4-1024x683.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.rt.emap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/01\/29112951\/Untitled-4-768x512.webp 768w, https:\/\/cdn.rt.emap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/01\/29112951\/Untitled-4-1000x666.webp 1000w, https:\/\/cdn.rt.emap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/01\/29112951\/Untitled-4-748x499.webp 748w, https:\/\/cdn.rt.emap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/01\/29112951\/Untitled-4-492x328.webp 492w, https:\/\/cdn.rt.emap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/01\/29112951\/Untitled-4-185x123.webp 185w, https:\/\/cdn.rt.emap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/01\/29112951\/Untitled-4-230x153.webp 230w, https:\/\/cdn.rt.emap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/01\/29112951\/Untitled-4-150x100.webp 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s1\">The retro feel increases to the west. Here, a courtyard scoops in, revealing the block to be U-shaped in footprint, its inner brick corners curved and a series of boldly expressed curve-cornered brick-clad balconies continuing the language and horizontal feel of the whole. \u2018I\u2019m pleased we managed to keep the curved corners; I thought they would be the first things to be cut with value engineering,\u2019 says Luke Tozer, one of the founding directors of Pitman Tozer Architects.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s1\">The unexpected soft, bullnosed roundedness weirdly chimes with the block\u2019s rather rustic name, Bulrush Court \u2013 although the latter was clearly chosen as a piece of nature-washing marketing, a reference to the nearby river.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s1\">The overall effect, with its rounded-off, relatively low-slung form, suggests Moderne Art Deco \u2013 as though the block is some fragment left over from a 1930s development. Tozer confirms it is a purposeful echo: \u2018We looked at Florin Court as a model.\u2019 This mansion block, designed by Guy Morgan and Partners in 1936, faces onto Charterhouse Square in Clerkenwell and gained fleeting fame from its appearance in the opening credits of ITV\u2019s long-running <i>Poirot<\/i> series as the supposed London home of Agatha Christie\u2019s fictional detective.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"breakout alignnone wp-image-772625 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.rt.emap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/01\/29113438\/Untitled-5.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s1\">In fact Bulrush Court is the latest iteration in a series of blocks Pitman Tozer has designed using the mid-rise mansion block as a model. \u2018We\u2019re very interested in how it provides density but on a relatively human scale,\u2019 says Tozer. Previous examples by the practice include two schemes for Peabody which, each in its own way, humanised notably difficult sites. The 2014 Mint Street 67-unit block in Bethnal Green has an elegantly curved, grey brick and mint-green tile fa\u00e7ade sitting hard-up against an adjacent railway viaduct, mitigating the noise from this through a layer of winter gardens. And The Reach, a block of 66 homes in Thamesmead completed in 2019, wraps around a generous communal garden that provides a green barrier of separation from the busy A2016 and Belmarsh Prison beyond, its balcony-access design also channelling 1930s blocks.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s1\">While Bulrush Court has a smaller, tighter footprint than the similarly U-shaped Reach, it also establishes its own space. The more compact courtyard it encloses gives the block a focus and creates a sense of place for residents on an urban site where the only defining features are the hard transport arteries hemming it in.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s1\">The courtyard space, landscaped by East, is well-planned, with two areas containing play equipment, one fenced around, already being intensively used by kids when we visited. Other, softer areas of bedding are planted with young trees, promising in time to provide more animation and shade. These in turn form green thresholds to the private amenity spaces of the ground-floor flats and to the four main entrances at the courtyard\u2019s corners.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"breakout alignnone wp-image-772628 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.rt.emap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/01\/29114001\/KILO-0414-0001-1024x819.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"819\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.rt.emap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/01\/29114001\/KILO-0414-0001-1024x819.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.rt.emap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/01\/29114001\/KILO-0414-0001-300x240.webp 300w, https:\/\/cdn.rt.emap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/01\/29114001\/KILO-0414-0001-768x614.webp 768w, https:\/\/cdn.rt.emap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/01\/29114001\/KILO-0414-0001-230x184.webp 230w, https:\/\/cdn.rt.emap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/01\/29114001\/KILO-0414-0001-150x120.webp 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s1\">These lead into small entrance lobbies, each with a copious adjacent bike store. Off each of these a stair serves either end of two elongated cores. Guinness Homes presciently insisted on this double-stair provision as a fire safety requirement before the legislative outcome of the Grenfell Fire tragedy made it mandatory for all new blocks over 18m.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s1\">Flats open off internal corridors, which link through the spine of the block. While I\u2019m no fan of this arrangement, here each presents a short run and is naturally lit at one end by a window, mitigating the internalised feel. However, the use of corridor access does mean on plan that only corner flats enjoy a dual aspect, limiting cross-ventilation.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s1\">At eighth floor level, a terrace provides a further communal space. It is dotted with raised beds for residents to do their own gardening. \u2018People have already started planting them out,\u2019 says the manager, indicating the mix of plants dotting the beds as we walk across the terrace. Roofs are otherwise green or fitted with PVs, which further lower the carbon costs of the heating. This is supplied through a site-wide heat network, served from a central energy centre.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"breakout alignnone wp-image-772631 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.rt.emap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/01\/29114945\/KILO-PTA-SK-0070-copy-1024x819.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"819\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.rt.emap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/01\/29114945\/KILO-PTA-SK-0070-copy-1024x819.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.rt.emap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/01\/29114945\/KILO-PTA-SK-0070-copy-300x240.webp 300w, https:\/\/cdn.rt.emap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/01\/29114945\/KILO-PTA-SK-0070-copy-768x614.webp 768w, https:\/\/cdn.rt.emap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/01\/29114945\/KILO-PTA-SK-0070-copy-230x184.webp 230w, https:\/\/cdn.rt.emap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/01\/29114945\/KILO-PTA-SK-0070-copy-150x120.webp 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s1\">Throughout the scheme, the quality of the brickwork is impressive: \u2018We\u2019ve actually used four types of brick,\u2019 says Tozer, pointing to grey engineering brick used for the plinths and a more variegated stock lining the courtyard, in contrast with the main russet red and yellow facing bricks. \u2018We avoided using specials, too: the curves are created by cutting regular bricks.\u2019 Indeed, the overall quality of construction and maintenance of key detailing is indicative of a scheme in which Pitman Tozer was retained by the client to maintain oversight on construction.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s1\">Having said that, a few aspects of the design, such as the white powder-coated lipped aluminium soffits of each balcony jar. It\u2019s a cover detail that incorporates MHVR ductwork, external vents, an alarm sounder and emergency lighting, the latter reflecting the Guinness Partnership\u2019s safety concern.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Walking around the development, the manager notes there have been issues as tenants settle in.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s1\">\u2018There have been some incidents of knife crime and bikes stolen, so we\u2019ve had to issue a number of anti-social behaviour orders (ASBOs). You always have to set and keep setting the ground rules at first.\u2019 They add that the ultimate sanction of losing your tenancy is a powerful one.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"breakout alignnone wp-image-772632 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.rt.emap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/01\/29115136\/KILO-PTA-SK-0071-copy-1024x819.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"819\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.rt.emap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/01\/29115136\/KILO-PTA-SK-0071-copy-1024x819.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.rt.emap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/01\/29115136\/KILO-PTA-SK-0071-copy-300x240.webp 300w, https:\/\/cdn.rt.emap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/01\/29115136\/KILO-PTA-SK-0071-copy-768x614.webp 768w, https:\/\/cdn.rt.emap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/01\/29115136\/KILO-PTA-SK-0071-copy-230x184.webp 230w, https:\/\/cdn.rt.emap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/01\/29115136\/KILO-PTA-SK-0071-copy-150x120.webp 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s1\">For all the vegetable-planting opportunities on the roof, there is always an element of stick, as well carrot, about managing quality of life in a housing block.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s1\">It goes to show that, aside from good design, a key aspect to good housing provision is also decent, hands-on management. Having visited two other local authority and build-to-rent schemes earlier on the same day, the Guinness Trust block was the only one where we have been met by a manager. Elsewhere, concierges mixing up keys to flats and caretakers not briefed about our visit pointed up the pitfalls of relying on hands-off management and virtual communications.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s1\">But, aside from its responsible approach to management, this is a scheme that, through simple, uncostly design moves, provides a distinctive sense of place for its residents \u2013 a key factor in its day-to-day success as a dwelling and thus its long-term sustainability.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Project data<\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"p1\"><strong>Start on site<\/strong>: \u200aApril 2021<br \/>\n<strong>Completion<\/strong>: \u200aMay 2024<br \/>\n<strong>Gross internal floor area<\/strong>: \u200a12,200m<sup>2<\/sup><br \/>\n<strong>Construction cost<\/strong>: \u200a\u00a335 million<br \/>\n<strong>Construction cost per m<sup>2<\/sup><\/strong>: \u00a32,900<br \/>\n<strong>Architect<\/strong>: \u200aPitman Tozer Architects<br \/>\n<b>Client:<\/b> The Guinness Partnership<br \/>\n<b>Executive architect:<\/b> Falconer Chester Hall Architects<br \/>\nStructural engineer: \u200aWatermans<br \/>\n<b>M&amp;E consultant:<\/b> Couch Perry Wilkes (MEP), Hoare Lea (MEP, CMT)<br \/>\n<b>Quantity surveyor:<\/b> Arcadis (cost consultant)<br \/>\n<b>Landscape:<\/b> East<br \/>\n<b>Planning consultant:<\/b> Simply Planning<br \/>\n<b>Townscape and heritage consultant:<\/b> Peter Stewart Consultancy<br \/>\n<b>Transport consultant:<\/b> Steer<br \/>\n<b>Fire consultant:<\/b> JGA Fire<br \/>\n<b>Daylight, sunlight and overshadowing consultant:<\/b> GIA Surveyors<br \/>\n<b>Environmental impact assessor:<\/b> AECOM<br \/>\n<b>Clerk of works:<\/b> Rund Partnership<br \/>\n<b>Wind and microclimate consultant:<\/b> Rowan Williams Davies &amp; Irwin<br \/>\n<b>Project manager:<\/b> Danescroft\/Arcadis<br \/>\n<b>Principal designer<\/b>: Calfordseaden<br \/>\n<b>CDM co-ordinator:<\/b> Calfordseaden<br \/>\n<b>Approved building inspector:<\/b> Bureau Veritas Building Control UK<br \/>\n<b>Main contractor:<\/b> Lovell\/Henry<br \/>\n<b>CAD software used:<\/b> Revit<br \/>\n<b>Annual CO<\/b><span class=\"s3\"><b><sub>2<\/sub><\/b><\/span><b> emissions:<\/b> 10 kgCO<span class=\"s3\"><sub>2<\/sub><\/span>\/m<sup>2<\/sup> (Part L regulated emissions)<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Sustainability data<\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"p2\"><b>Percentage of floor area with daylight factor &gt;2%: <\/b>Not supplied<br \/>\n<b>Percentage of floor area with daylight factor &gt;5%: <\/b>Not supplied<br \/>\n<b>On-site energy generation:<\/b> 2% reduction in regulated carbon emissions<br \/>\n<b>Heating and hot water load:<\/b> Not available<br \/>\n<b>Total energy load:<\/b> Not available<br \/>\n<b>Carbon emissions (all):<\/b> 10 kgCO<span class=\"s2\"><sub>2<\/sub><\/span>\/m<sup>2<\/sup> (Part L regulated emissions)<br \/>\n<b>Annual mains water consumption:<\/b> 38 m<sup>3<\/sup>\/occupant (estimated)<br \/>\n<b>Airtightness at 50Pa:<\/b> 3 m<sup>3<\/sup>\/hr\/m<sup>2<\/sup><br \/>\n<b>Area-weighted U-value<\/b> Floor U-value: 0.13 W\/m<sup>2<\/sup>K,<br \/>\nRoof U-value 0.17 W\/m<sup>2<\/sup>K, Wall U-value: 0.15 W\/m<sup>2<\/sup>K, Window U-value 1.4 W\/m<sup>2<\/sup>K<br \/>\n<b>Embodied\/whole-life carbon:<\/b> Not available<br \/>\n<b>Predicted design life:<\/b> 60-100 years<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u2018It\u2019s the tenants\u2019 favourite block,\u2019 says an estate manager, as we approach the striped-brick flank of Bulrush Court across the small public space adjacent to it. Designed by Pitman Tozer Architects, it\u2019s the latest addition to the planned 965-unit Leaside Lock development in Tower Hamlets, masterplanned by Assael and developed by the Guinness Partnership together &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32845,"featured_media":772634,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"ep_exclude_from_search":false},"categories":[706],"tags":[98067,4462,3298],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Pitman Tozer\u2019s thoroughly moderne mansion block<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"For its Bulrush Court affordable homes scheme in the Lower Lea Valley, Pitman Tozer Architects looked for inspiration to Modernist apartment blocks of the 1930s\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/buildings\/pitman-tozers-thoroughly-moderne-mansion-block\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Pitman Tozer\u2019s thoroughly moderne mansion block\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"For its Bulrush Court affordable homes scheme in the Lower Lea Valley, Pitman Tozer Architects looked for inspiration to Modernist apartment blocks of the 1930s\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/buildings\/pitman-tozers-thoroughly-moderne-mansion-block\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Architects\u2019 Journal\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-02-03T08:48:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-02-12T16:05:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/cdn.rt.emap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/01\/29115526\/KILO-0414-0013-copy-1024x683.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"683\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Rob Wilson\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Rob Wilson\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"10 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/buildings\/pitman-tozers-thoroughly-moderne-mansion-block\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/buildings\/pitman-tozers-thoroughly-moderne-mansion-block\",\"name\":\"Pitman Tozer\u2019s thoroughly moderne mansion block\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2025-02-03T08:48:46+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-02-12T16:05:02+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/#\/schema\/person\/12806917e77ff2de74f79bac098aac26\"},\"description\":\"For its Bulrush Court affordable homes scheme in the Lower Lea Valley, Pitman Tozer Architects looked for inspiration to Modernist apartment blocks of the 1930s\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/buildings\/pitman-tozers-thoroughly-moderne-mansion-block#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/buildings\/pitman-tozers-thoroughly-moderne-mansion-block\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/buildings\/pitman-tozers-thoroughly-moderne-mansion-block#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Pitman Tozer\u2019s thoroughly moderne mansion block\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/\",\"name\":\"The Architects\u2019 Journal\",\"description\":\"Architecture News &amp; 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