Tide's 462-home volumetric co-living scheme in Acton named tall residential building of the year

Tide Construction has announced that Enclave: Acton, its 462-home volumetric co-living development in the London Borough of Ealing, has been named Tall Residential Building of the Year at the Tall Buildings Media Awards 2026.

The scheme reaches 106 metres and was built from 505 volumetric units manufactured by Vision Volumetric, Tide's own manufacturing company, according to the announcement. Tide said the building was completed in an 18-month programme on a footprint of 1,090 square metres.

An announcement of the scheme's opening, carried on Tide's website, described the development as West London's tallest volumetric building and a 220,000 sq ft residential-led, mixed-use scheme. The award announcement describes the homes as spread across 27- and 32-storey towers, while the opening announcement describes a 32-storey building.

Simon Toplis, Partner at HTA Design, the scheme's architect, said: "The design flexibility afforded by Vision's volumetric system enables us to create bespoke and highly crafted schemes".

The scheme

Tide's project page says the 18-month programme included preparation works and the delivery of a two-level basement. The topping-out of the structure was announced by Tide on 31 October 2024.

Alongside the 462 homes, the project page says the scheme provides 1,500 square metres of communal space. Residents have use of a 2,000 sq ft landscaped roof terrace on the 32nd floor, according to the opening announcement. The two pages also differ on how many floors the amenity space occupies, with the project page saying four and the opening announcement five.

The development creates a new home for The Castle pub, which Tide describes as a social hub dating to the 1930s that had been vacant since 2020. Design-stage sustainability targets listed on the project page are EPC B and BREEAM Excellent.

Tide positions Enclave: Acton as a follow-on to its College Road scheme in Croydon, which the company calls the UK's largest development in the co-living sector.

The manufacturing model

Tide describes itself as a developer and main contractor working alongside Vision Volumetric under a vertically integrated procurement model. Tide's own headline frames the award as a joint win with Vision.

Vision says it makes up to 80% of a volumetric building in its factory, with each unit taking 10 days to move through its assembly line. Its Bedford plant is 180,000 sq ft on a 7.4-acre site, supports more than 250 local skilled jobs and has a minimum capacity of 2,000 units a year, according to the company.

The opening announcement carried on Tide's website claimed volumetric modular construction can deliver homes up to 50% faster than traditional building methods.

Tide says it has delivered more than £3.5bn of real estate in recent years and is behind seven of the world's ten tallest volumetric towers.