Kingston co-living scheme opens with BREEAM Outstanding rating
The Rex, a 212-home co-living development in central Kingston Upon Thames, Surrey, England, has completed, transforming a former commercial building through a retrofit-first approach. Located opposite Kingston Station, the scheme delivers new homes, extensive shared amenities, and commercial space.
Designed by HTA Design for Amro Partners, The Rex provides co-living apartments alongside a broad range of shared facilities, including a communal kitchen and dining space, co-working lounges, gym and wellness facilities, and landscaped roof terraces. These facilities are designed to support wellbeing and social connection among residents.
The Rex is the UK’s first co-living development to achieve BREEAM Outstanding certification, as well as Fitwel 3-Star and WiredScore Platinum accreditation. The building operates without fossil fuels and incorporates renewable technologies, including air source heat pumps and photovoltaic panels, achieving a 68% reduction in emissions beyond 2021 Building Regulations requirements.
A key aspect of the project is its retrofit-first approach, which retains and repurposes elements of the existing structure, substantially reducing embodied carbon compared with a new build alternative. The retained concrete frame was integrated with a new steel structure to accommodate vertical extensions.
Design and Sustainability
The design draws inspiration from Kingston’s civic and theatrical heritage, with the repeated use of the arch motif expressed across multiple scales throughout the building. Low-carbon concrete brickwork is combined with bespoke dark blue fluted terracotta, creating a unifying architectural language that connects retained elements of the original structure with the new intervention.
HTA Design’s interiors team collaborated with Lister+Lister to develop a strategy inspired by the site’s heritage as the former Granada Theatre. Theatrical elements, including rich materials and dramatic lighting, are balanced with a warm, tactile palette of walnut, fluted glass, cork, and velvet.
Simon Toplis, Partner at HTA Design, said: “The Rex demonstrates how existing buildings can be reimagined to meet contemporary housing needs while delivering well-designed homes that will stand the test of time. By retaining and adapting significant parts of the existing structure, we have created a highly sustainable co-living community that combines architectural character, wellbeing, and long-term resilience.”
Reni Petkova, Operational Manager at Amro Partners, noted that The Rex is about creating a place where people feel at home and connected to those around them, bringing together beautiful design, a sense of luxury, and a warm and welcoming atmosphere.
The project team included Amro Partners as the client, CField as the contractor, and HTA Design as the architect, environment, energy, and sustainability consultant. Other team members included Manhire Associates, OFR, Skelly & Couch, Newsteer, Savills, RBA, Lister + Lister, Inhabit Group, Caneparo, GIA, and 18Degrees.
Wayfinding and Place Identity
HTA Design also developed a full wayfinding and place identity strategy. Drawing on the building’s art deco and cinematic heritage, the system incorporates bespoke typography, metallic finishes and graphic interventions inspired by the arched forms of the architecture. Developed in collaboration with Lister + Lister, the approach integrates signage, environmental graphics and navigational cues throughout communal spaces.
The strategy also supports the project’s Fitwel accreditation through an active-navigation approach. This encourages stair use through integrated floor numbering and step-count graphics. By making navigation intuitive, the design reinforces the connection between the building’s heritage and its modern, sustainable function.
