A rigorous and brave scheme that has the potential to become a community
Sergison Bates for Baylight Property Services
Contract value: £2.45m
GIA: 1327m2
RIBA South Project Architect of the Year, sponsored by Tarmac
This is a rigorous and brave scheme that has been led by a passionate and enquiring architect. The aim was to explore ‘how to build better housing’. The layout has a deliberately rural feel within a garden setting which is in shared ownership between all residents. Not only is the aspiration for the architecture high, but there is an opportunity for social integration and shared responsibility.
This is an experiment in the picturesque where overlooking is treated as an opportunity not a problem: some residents have embraced it, others not, but the opportunity is there for the taking. The Flemish brick in ‘wild bond’ (half brick 2/3 brick and full brick combinations) add to the feeling of crafted texture and help to break down the scale. This is an impressive development that has the potential to become a community. The project achieved a lot with a small amount.
See other winners of the RIBA Regional Awards 2016 – South