The practice collaborated with Light Follows Behaviour, CAST, Aspect Studios, Velocity, Ramboll and Common Works.
The two-stage competition sought proposals to transform the space beneath the bridge on Clapham High Street into a ‘bold, welcoming gateway’ for the area.
The other finalists were GS Architecture, Polysmiths and Peerada Liew Studio with Nuraddin Kazimov.
The judges praised Makower’s ‘ambitious and cohesive vision’ for the Clapham North railway bridge and clock tower, which they said could create a ‘distinctive gateway to Clapham while establishing a strong and unified identity for the wider High Street and surrounding area’.
They also commended the proposal for its placemaking approach, architectural quality and ability to connect the bridge, public realm, and wider town centre into a ‘coherent and memorable destination’.
The winning team will be invited to develop their concept to RIBA Stage 3-4, contingent on the successful raising of funds by key stakeholders.
The competition was organised by The Clapham Society and This is Clapham (Clapham BID), and follows Lambeth Council’s recent announcement of plans to upgrade Voltaire Road next to the bridge.
The ‘utilitarian’ railway bridge was built in the mid-19th century and is close to both Clapham High Street station and Clapham North tube station. It crosses over the Clapham High Street stretch of the busy A3 road. The underside of the bridge suffers from congestion and poor air quality.
The judging panel included Julia Barfield, director of Marks Barfield Architects; Sinclair Johnston, consultant at Ayesa UK; Jeremy Keates, manager of This is Clapham BID; Sinclair Johnston, engineer and president of The Clapham Society; and Claire Alleguen, engagement manager at Transport for London.
Keates said: ‘Clapham North presents a fantastic opportunity for transformation. The creativity, imagination, and insight demonstrated by all of the design teams have helped us to envision how this important gateway and surrounding area could be enhanced for the benefit of local residents, businesses, and visitors.
‘We congratulate the Makower Architects design team on their winning proposal and look forward to working with them to further refine and develop the vision. We would also like to thank every team that contributed ideas to the competition and everyone who took the time to engage with the process.’
The shortlisted teams each received an honorarium of £1,200 to participate in the competition’s second phase, during which proposals were further refined in response to general and proposal-specific feedback.
The contest win comes less than a year after a team led by GPAD and POoR Collective completed a £2 million upgrade of Battersea’s Falcon Road Bridge 2.5km to the west.
Meanwhile, artist and designer Yinka Ilori completed a competition-winning overhaul of the nearby Thessaly Road railway bridge as part of the London Festival of Architecture six years ago.
Clapham is an inner-London town centre of around 50,000 inhabitants. Local architectural landmarks include Studio Voltaire by Matheson Whiteley, Clapham One by Studio Egret West and dRMM’s Stirling Prize-shortlisted Clapham Manor Primary School.
Winner: Makower Architects collaborating with Light Follows Behaviour, CAST, Aspect Studios, Velocity and Common Works