Strawberry Close Town Centre Apartments by OB Architecture

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This article was written by UNI Editorial and published on uni.xyz, a platform for design professionals and creative thinkers.

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This article covers topics related to Urban Design, Architecture. Contemporary apartments nestled by Hargate Forest, featuring terraced forms, natural materials, and seamless integration with the sloping woodland site.

Contemporary apartments nestled by Hargate Forest, featuring terraced forms, natural materials, and seamless integration with the sloping woodland site.

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UNI Editorial published Story under Urban Design, Architecture on Jun 30, 2025

A Secluded Contemporary Residential Oasis within an Urban Forest Edge

Nestled within a quiet woodland clearing on the edge of the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and adjacent to Hargate Forest, the Strawberry Close Town Centre Apartments offer a striking yet sensitive architectural solution for urban living. Designed by OB Architecture, this boutique residential development consists of nine thoughtfully crafted apartments that harmonize contemporary aesthetics with contextual sensitivity.

Despite its town centre location in Royal Tunbridge Wells, the project enjoys an unexpected sense of retreat and seclusion, achieved through careful site positioning and architectural massing that responds to the existing topography and forest boundary.

Organic Form and Terraced Living

The building’s sculpted form follows the natural contours of the steeply sloped site, creating a flowing arrangement of tiered setbacks and curved volumes. These gently cascading terraces extend the interior living spaces outward, forming generous balconies that capture panoramic views of the surrounding woodland and rolling hills of Kent.

This design not only responds to the site’s constraints but transforms them into opportunities for enhanced spatial quality, outdoor connection, and biophilic urban living.

Material Palette Inspired by Nature

Material selection was guided by the intention to blend the architecture into its leafy context. A grounded base of earth-toned brickwork anchors the structure, providing visual weight and durability at the pedestrian level. Above, light vertical timber cladding interspersed with oversailing brick banding introduces warmth and texture while referencing the vertical rhythm of surrounding tree trunks.

This balanced material palette enables the building to appear both robust and refined—an expression of architectural calmness that gently announces its presence without disrupting the natural fabric of the site.

Enhancing the Edge of the Forest

More than just a residential complex, Strawberry Close acts as a transitional threshold—a contemporary gateway between the vibrant urban core and the calm serenity of the forest. OB Architecture has successfully embraced the challenges of a complex, steep site and a highly sensitive natural setting, using design as a means to celebrate contextual integrity, environmental harmony, and elevated urban living.