A Place to Belong
Parklands is a contemporary Build to Rent development in Dartford, Kent, comprising seven residential buildings and 231 new homes. Designed for a broad residential community, from individuals and couples to professionals and families, the development combines studio, one, two and three-bedroom apartments with a considered range of shared spaces designed to extend life beyond the individual home.
Located within London’s commuter belt, Parklands is an 11-minute walk from Dartford Station, with direct rail connections to London Bridge. Its position at the edge of the capital creates a compelling residential proposition, combining access to the city with the amenity and identity of an established town centre. Directly adjacent to Central Park, the development also benefits from an immediate relationship with landscape, bringing accessible green space into the wider residential experience.
Sector | Build-to-Rent
Location | Dartford
Completion | Concept
Client | Starlight Investments
Project Managers | RUND
Interior Design | Jasper Sanders + Partners
Contractor | RJM Specialist Interior Fit-out Contractors
Designing for Inclusion
The fitness suite presented a complex challenge in balancing acoustics, accessibility and spatial efficiency. High-impact activities such as free weights, kettlebells and slam balls required specialist acoustic flooring to resist resonant sounds transferring through the concrete structure to apartments above. A conventional solution could have created floor build-ups of up to 300mm, introducing steps, ramps, handrails and guarding that would consume valuable space and compromise both accessibility and the fitness experience.
Instead, the space was engineered around the problem. Working with acoustic consultants, specialist flooring manufacturers and fitness equipment suppliers, high-impact activities were concentrated within a dedicated zone, allowing the deepest acoustic construction to be used only where essential. Elsewhere, a shallower specialist floor controlled vibration from lower-impact equipment.
This reduced the floor transition to approximately 89mm, resolved through a high-contrast level transition and integrated support points for users with limited mobility. By coordinating equipment, acoustics, Building Regulations and accessibility as one coordinated design exercise, extensive ramps, steps and balustrades were designed out, releasing more space for exercise and creating a more inclusive, efficient and highly functioning wellbeing environment, at the lowest cost.
Fluidity
The Business Lounge serves as the spatial and social nucleus of the amenity, establishing a central point of connection within the wider scheme. A considered composition of adaptable settings supports a fluid transition between uses throughout the day, responding to the evolving needs of residents. Through strategic spatial planning and a diversity of environments, the lounge fosters a sense of continuity, movement and choice, creating an intuitive and interconnected experience.
Growth
The Entertainment Lounge provides a distinct social anchor within the amenity, complementing the Business Lounge through a more intimate and relaxed setting. Designed to nurture meaningful connections, the space encourages residents to engage, socialise and build a stronger sense of community. Its informal atmosphere supports spontaneous interaction and shared experiences, allowing relationships to develop organically and fostering a sense of belonging over time.
Rigidity
Positioned to the rear of the amenity, the Private Dining Room introduces a more structured and defined spatial experience. Conceived as a dedicated, bookable venue for private gatherings and hosted events, the space offers a greater sense of enclosure, privacy and purpose. During daytime hours, it transitions into a quiet, focused study environment,providing residents with a setting conducive to concentration and individual work. This dual functionality maximises the versatility of the space while maintaining a clear distinction between the fluidity of the communal areas and the more purposeful nature of focused activities.
At the heart of the development, one of the buildings brings together a series of ground-floor resident amenities including arrival and concierge, management and parcel facilities, business and entertainment lounges, private dining and a fitness suite. The planning of these spaces was carefully optimised around function, time of use, outlook and visibility. With the principal entrance already defined through planning, the concierge and supporting operational spaces were positioned around this point, establishing an intuitive arrival sequence before the resident experience unfolds through the building.
Beyond optimised zoning, the arrangement creates a deliberate relationship between interior and street. Each window becomes a frame onto a different activity, allowing the life of the building to animate the busy route towards Dartford town centre and station. Business lounges and individual work settings transition into more social entertainment spaces, while the fitness suite provides another active frontage. Together they create a sequence of distinct but connected experiences, turning the interior into its own piece of theatre and the building itself into a subtle, constantly changing expression of Parklands life. More private functions sit deeper within the plan. The private dining room, for example, occupies a quieter location suited to evening use while providing an adaptable setting for focused work during the day.
The interior aesthetic brings these principles together through a warm, contemporary language that sits somewhere between residential, hospitality and workplace design. Rich timber, natural stone, tactile fabrics and softly textured finishes create a material palette that feels luxurious without becoming formal, while olive, terracotta and muted natural tones introduce warmth and individuality. Rounded edges, sculptural lighting and carefully framed openings soften the stronger architectural elements, creating a sense of movement and visual continuity through the spaces. Furniture has been selected to feel generous and inviting, with different settings offering varying degrees of privacy, sociability and focus. The atmosphere is intended to feel considered but not overly designed, sophisticated yet relaxed, with the richness coming through material, texture, light and detail rather than decoration. Planting, daylight and views through the spaces further reinforce the connection to nature and the wider Parklands setting, creating interiors that feel welcoming, calm and instinctively comfortable.
Behind the apparent simplicity of the interiors sits a highly coordinated technical solution. The existing building envelope was rigorously tested and refined to maximise usable space, minimise residual areas and integrate MEP, servicing, access, escape and regulatory requirements. Close coordination between interior design, acousticians, Building Regulations, MEP engineering and specialist suppliers allowed complex technical requirements to be absorbed into a highly functioning environment without compromising the clarity or quality of the interior design.
Brand principles were developed around three themes, Fluidity, Rigidity,and Growth, with the interior expression exploring the relationship between movement, permanence, texture and tone. Fluidity is expressed through spatial permeable, rounded forms, reflective surfaces and opportunities for interaction. Rigidity provides contrast through solidity,stone, robust forms and tactile finishes, introducing permanence and materially through natural finishes, daylight, warmth and connections to landscape. Rather than applying conventional to landscape. Rather than applying conventional brand graphics, these principles became core to the personality and experience of the space.
Inclusivity informed the wider amenity strategy throughout. A variety of settings supports individual focus, couples, small groups and larger social activity, allowing residents to choose how and when they engage with the community around them. This highly optimised collection of spaces was designed not simply as shared amenities, but as an adaptable extension of home, creating opportunities for work, wellbeing, connection and belonging.
Behind the Scenes
