Shaping a Landmark: A Q&A with the Architects behind The Liberty at Dagenham Green

Q: What was the original design vision for The Liberty?

Tozer:
The Liberty was conceived as a confident yet elegant landmark within Dagenham Green, a building that would signal the transformation of the former industrial site into a vibrant, people focused neighbourhood.

Our ambition was to create a tower with softness and character: robust and urban in its materiality, yet graceful in its silhouette. The rounded corners and continuous horizontal balconies give the building a distinctive identity, while ensuring it feels welcoming rather than imposing.  The Liberty acts as an urban marker, immediately visible from the station, announcing a new neighbourhood, a place where high-quality homes, generous outdoor space and strong connections to landscape come together to create a building that enhances everyday life.

Q: How does the building respond to its surrounding context?

Tozer:
The Liberty plays a pivotal role in framing and activating the new public realm. Positioned adjacent to landscaped green spaces and water, the building helps define a generous civic landscape while maintaining visual permeability and openness and concierge and commercial uses at ground level.

Its height contributes to the emerging townscape hierarchy across the masterplan, marking a key arrival point without overwhelming its neighbours. The carefully articulated brick façade relates to the material character of surrounding blocks, while the curved form softens its presence within the skyline.

Rather than standing in isolation, The Liberty reinforces the masterplan’s ambition to create walkable streets, activated edges and a cohesive architectural language across Dagenham Green.

Q: What were the key priorities in developing the scheme?

Tozer: 
Our priorities centred on three core principles:

·        Quality of homes: ensuring well-proportioned layouts, generous balconies and strong access to daylight.

·        Civic presence: creating a landmark that positively shapes the public realm.

·        Buildability and longevity: delivering a robust, efficient building with durable materials and long-term environmental performance.

Balancing density with delight was fundamental. We were determined that the building’s height would translate into enhanced views, light and amenity for residents, not compromise them.

Q: What architectural features define The Liberty?

Tozer:
The most defining feature is the continuous ribbon of curved balconies wrapping the façade. These create depth, shadow and movement across the elevation, giving the building a calm horizontal rhythm.

The rounded corners are particularly significant, they soften the massing, improve wind behaviour at high level, and create panoramic views for residents.

We are also proud of the robust brick detailing and carefully composed base, which anchors the building to the ground and strengthens its relationship with the surrounding public square.

Q: How did you approach the internal layouts to enhance resident experience?

Tozer:
The internal planning is highly efficient, organised around a central core to maximise perimeter living space. The aim was to create homes that feel calm, practical and uplifting.

Apartments are arranged to prioritise:

·        All homes enjoy dual aspects

·        Direct access from living rooms to generous private balconies

·        Logical, practical circulation with minimal wasted space

Q: How does the building maximise light, space and views?

Tozer:
 The tower form inherently allows for expansive outward views across Dagenham Green and beyond. The curved corners widen viewing angles and prevent abrupt visual terminations.

Full-height glazing to living spaces and continuous balconies extend the sense of interior space outward. The slender floorplate ensures homes benefit from strong daylight penetration, while the building’s orientation maximises solar access without overheating.

Q: What sustainability principles were embedded in the design?

Tozer:
 Sustainability was embedded from the outset. Key principles included:

·        High-performance building fabric to reduce heat loss

·        Efficient façade design balancing daylight and thermal control

·        Durable, low-maintenance materials such as brick

·        Integration of site wide infrastructure and services to provide low carbon energy

·        Encouraging active travel through integration within a walkable masterplan

The building aligns with wider ambitions at Dagenham Green to create a low-carbon, landscape-led neighbourhood.

Q: How does the building support long-term environmental performance?

Tozer:
Longevity was a critical driver. The robust brick envelope ensures durability and low maintenance over time. Efficient layouts reduce unnecessary material use, and the compact central core improves thermal performance.

By providing high-quality, well-lit homes with private outdoor space, The Liberty supports long-term residential satisfaction, a key but often overlooked element of sustainability.

Q: Were there any innovative construction approaches?

Tozer:
The building utilises a rational, efficient structural grid that optimises repetition while accommodating the distinctive curved façade.  Offsite bathrooms and PUCs integrated prefabricated components.

The balcony design required careful coordination to achieve the continuous horizontal bands without compromising thermal performance or structural efficiency. This balance between architectural ambition and buildability was key to the project’s success.

Q: How does The Liberty contribute to the community?

Tozer:
The Liberty is not just a residential tower, it is a placemaking device for the wider masterplan.

At ground level, it helps frame and activate the new public square, encouraging everyday interaction and movement. Its relationship and ground floor commercial hub with the landscape strengthens the idea of a neighbourhood centre.

By overlooking public spaces and green areas, residents are visually connected to community life, reinforcing a sense of belonging within the wider Dagenham Green masterplan.

Q: Were there any significant challenges?

Tozer:
One of the key challenges was achieving a distinctive curved form within the commercial and structural constraints of a high-rise residential building.

Close collaboration with structural and façade engineers allowed us to refine the geometry and balcony detailing to ensure efficiency, buildability and performance. Ensuring high-quality public realm integration while delivering a tall building footprint also required careful coordination across disciplines.

Q: How did collaboration shape the final outcome?

Tozer:
The project benefited from strong collaborative dialogue throughout. Engagement with planners ensured the tower contributed positively to the emerging townscape strategy.

Engineers were instrumental in refining the façade and balcony expression, helping us translate a strong architectural vision into a deliverable solution.

The result is a building that feels both expressive and rational, ambitious yet grounded.

Q: What aspect of the project are you most proud of?

Tozer:
We are most proud of how The Liberty combines landmark presence with liveability and efficiency.

It demonstrates that higher-density housing can still feel generous, elegant and humane. The building enriches its setting while offering residents light-filled homes with expansive views and meaningful outdoor space.

Q: How does The Liberty reflect your wider architectural philosophy?

Tozer:
The Liberty embodies our belief that sustainable architecture should bring joy to people, homes and neighbourhoods.

It balances imagination and pragmatism, creating a distinctive silhouette delivered through rational planning and durable materials.

Above all, it reinforces our commitment to creating well-crafted buildings that contribute positively to their context, stand the test of time, and enhance everyday life.

From its curved silhouette to its commitment to sustainability, The Liberty represents a confident new chapter for the neighbourhood and we look forward to seeing it launch.

To discover more about the architects behind The Liberty, visit the Pitman Tozer Architects  and learn more about the design vision shaping this exceptional development.

You can also explore The Liberty in more detail, view available homes at Dagenham Green and register for our upcoming launch on 14th March.