This project is the sustainable refurbishment of heritage buildings at the Sutton Estate which was built in 1912/ This has been designed in collaboration with the community.

The refurbishment of four residential blocks at Chelsea’s Sutton Estate, a 100-year-old social housing development owned by Clarion Housing Group, is an outstanding example of retrofit, urban regeneration and estate renewal. It has transformed small, outdated studios into spacious, future-ready homes that are sustainable, affordable and low-carbon. Residents were extensively consulted ahead of planning and have returned to their refurbished homes.
The original studios were completely reconfigured to create a mix of 1, 2, 3 and 4-bedroom homes, including eight fully accessible ground-floor flats for wheelchair users. The installation of lifts in every block ensures full access to upper floors. New balconies provide outdoor space, while a central landscaped community garden encourages social connection and access to nature. Well-designed communal green spaces feature raingardens, forming part of the estate-wide SuDS strategy. The project achieved London’s first Building with Nature accreditation, recognising its rich and diverse planting in a dense urban setting, delivering a 39% biodiversity net gain.
The innovative energy strategy significantly reduces the estate’s carbon footprint, demonstrating the feasibility of ground source heat pumps in dense urban sites, and providing affordable energy for older buildings. Twenty-seven boreholes provide the energy source to warm piped water, feeding ‘shoebox’ heat pumps in each flat. New double-glazed windows have been designed to improve ventilation, daylight, and thermal performance, reducing energy consumption by 57%. External walls are insulated with breathable wood-fibre, and improved airtightness combined with MVHR achieves a projected 51% cut in carbon emissions and a 75% drop in annual energy demand.

Rob Westcott, director at Civic, said: “The heritage-led refurbishment of The Sutton Estate is an outstanding example of retrofit, urban regeneration and estate renewal at one of the country’s oldest purpose-built social housing developments. The design has delivered modern, sustainable homes within a building that had become unfit for use, while respecting conservation area context. The project has greatly improved estate-wide drainage, green space and accessibility, with landscaped courtyards, play trails and places to sit out.”