Cleveland Mews, Chichester, West Sussex, UK

Developer: Cormorant Properties

Cleveland Mews is a development of 6 new apartment houses laid out around three shared external courtyards. The site was formerly garaging and is tightly bounded by the mainline railway and residential gardens. Each house has its own terrace and private form of entrance and the large glazed windows lead to light open plan living areas and bedrooms beyond.

The massing was developed with careful consideration to the impact to the surrounding buildings and gardens. The upper storey of the mews is divided into three distinct parts to break the overall form on the skyline and allow views through between and reduce overshadowing. The mews is set back from the neighbouring houses to the west with a shared forecourt serving the development and gardens.

The development’s innovation on such a small site was to focus on to shared courtyards between the building forms which are shared as an amenity by the units. The houses are accessed through these shared landscaped courtyards that divide the development into three distinct blocks comprising two units per block, and linked by areas of terraced sedum roof.

The houses are designed to Lifetime Homes standards. The floor to ceiling internal clear height of habitable rooms is 2.6m and each house is dual aspect with good levels of sunlight and daylight penetration. The outside courtyard spaces are private from neighboring gardens and separated visually and acoustically from neighbours by the single storey parts of the development and by an access lane to the north edge of the site.

A car turntable for cars and delivery vehicles has been incorporated to keep the amount of trafficable landscape surface to a minimum and give as much of the site to landscape amenity.

Kirkland Fraser Moor & Cormorant Properties

Three Acres Cohousing, King’s Langley, Hertfordshire, UK

Planning Consultant: Planning & Regeneration Consultancy

Environmental Consultants: Briary Energy

Planning Consented 2017

This project for four detached houses with associated gardens and co-housing facilities involves the redevelopment of a steeply sloping brownfield site and builder’s yard buildings. The site is located within the Metropolitan Green Belt and is 1.1 hectares with a long single-track access.

The positioning of the new houses is central within the large site, the orientation of each house rotated to maximise the views and to give the house a relationship to the climate, shelter from the wind and facing the light. The four houses are set back from the road and very private, giving the opportunity to arrange a series of outdoor spaces related to each house as distinct garden spaces to each facade.

The design approach follows that of typical barns in Herfordshire with the width of the building based on the depth of one room, and the position of the lowered ground allowing for the creation of a more common L–shaped footprint. Other typical design features include larger traditional agricultural openings and the use of local materials. The orientation and large glazed openings allow open views from internal spaces as well as good day-lighting and passive solar gain to assist with a low carbon winter heating strategy.

The lowered ground is designed to have an aspect onto an enclosed lower level garden and terrace area. This sunken courtyard provides household amenity without visual impact from the site boundary.

The vehicular entrance and gates to the houses are kept in the same position as existing. The approach from this entrance is direct, with the arrival at a central shared courtyard. Allowing glimpses (and access) to the surrounding open land and giving the visitor a sense of arrival.

The houses are designed to passivhaus standerd and benefit from a circular economy approach of shared spaces for the residents through shared gardens, workshop and facilities for the upkeep of the private landscape spaces.

Kirkland Fraser Moor & Simon Beames

Mavis Enderby, Lincolnshire

Mews Houses

Landscape – The Landscape Agency

Building rurally does not preclude using compact types of building. The immediacy of the countryside and shared green amenity allows types to be used where the focus is not on larger plot sizes. The mews house developed from stable blocks and finding a compact relationship between modest sized houses. The absence of cars and the possibility of a shared hard landscaped area is advantageous for young families and older ages. The protective nature of the shared central space moderates the environment and allows a close sense of community. This type is naturally economic in both cost and energy.

The typical large openings of stables and mews houses are interpreted into seating and ledges for planting. Children can play safely, and the ground floor arcades are organised to have managed fruit trees planted along the center of the space. Back gardens are kept small and lead out onto a larger shared garden space allowing people living in these houses to enjoy nature without the onus of maintaining large gardens. View of the central shared space between the houses.

Both ends of the mews street are framed with brick arches and low level hinged timber doors. The courtyard can be closed off in winter to reduce the wind penetration and increase the level of privacy and protection for activities in the street.

The facades of the houses are intended to be inviting and usable as seating at ground floor level encouraging a sense of community and communal living. The break between the paired houses longitudinally gives views through to the shared gardens beyond. The spaces between the paired houses also contain spaces for cycle storage and shared storage of garden maintenance equipment. The materials are kept simple and natural. Local brick and timber windows. The window reveals are large and consistent with stables and mews building types. The colours of the timber are shown as consistent but the typical mode of this type of development is to find an individuality in the colour and finish of the architectural items requiring maintenance.

Kirkland Fraser Moor

Farnham, Surrey

Four Bedroom 200m2- AONB

A proposal for three houses around a new landscaped pond the houses take their inspiration from the local agricultural barns. Barns are traditionally warehouses to store crops and process materials. This type is very common locally and has the common characteristics of large doorways at ground level and asymmetrical apertures. The materials are often masonry at low level with timber on upper floors. Machine threshing was often housed in a side projection at a lower level with a power supply from wind or a stream.

These characteristics are advantageous for transitioning to a rural house type that can sit comfortably with local building types. The openings are left intentionally unadorned and closed with large panels of glass.

The houses are compact four bedroom types with a detached garage/ studio. The construction is paasivhaus standards and the frame designed to be SIPS panels with a brick facing. The distinctive gables house batboxes in the ridge to encourage habitat and biodiversity to the site. The gap between the house and studio forms a portico framed by a tall chimney feature.

Housing Lincolnshire

with the Landscape Agency

A proposal for low energy terraced housing an a site masterplan for various housing and community buildings. The ground floor is organised to have managed fruit trees planted along the center of the space. Back gardens are kept small and lead out onto a larger shared garden space allowing people living in these houses to enjoy nature without the onus of maintaining large gardens. View of the central shared space between the houses.

The facades of the houses are intended to be inviting and usable as seating at ground floor level encouraging a sense of community and communal living. The break between the paired houses longitudinally gives views through to the shared gardens and the waterside setting beyond. The spaces between the paired houses also contain spaces for cycle storage and shared storage of garden maintenance equipment. The materials are kept simple and natural. Local brick and timber windows.

Feasibility study for a charity led community development of seven accessible self contained one bedroom apartments, a carer’s apartment and community garden on top of a large community centre.

Additional community spaces and potential for NHS use of spaces on the ground floor, including a cafe space two larger meeting halls and six smaller meeting and seminar rooms.

Rural Solutions

The proposal, commissioned by a local housing charity sought to examine opportunities to construct low cost prefabricated homes with a relatively short lifespan (20yrs) that can be used on rural sites in areas of high second home ownership. In England this has become a contentious issue in recent years, that can contribute to the housing crisis and exacerbating inequality.

Low cost rural housing is of great importance for young people in the south of England in the UK, for several reasons.

The cost of housing in the south of England is among the highest in the country, making it difficult for young people to find affordable housing. Many young people are priced out of the rental and home ownership markets, and are forced to either stay with their parents or move to less expensive areas, which can be far from their place of work or study.

The lack of affordable housing in rural areas can lead to a shortage of young people in these communities having a negative impact on local economies, as young people often bring fresh ideas and skills that can help to drive economic growth.

Low cost rural housing can help to address social inequality by providing young people with access to safe, secure and affordable homes. This can have a positive impact on their mental and physical health, as well as their overall well-being.

Finally, low cost rural housing can help to address the environmental challenges facing the UK. By building affordable homes in rural areas, we can reduce the pressure on urban areas and help to protect the countryside from overdevelopment. This can have a positive impact on the environment, as well as on the quality of life for people living in these areas.

The proposal technically looks at low cost prefabricated modular homes, that are intended to be constructed off-site in a factory setting and then transported to the building site for assembly. These homes are built using modern methods of construction (MMC), using a range of innovative building techniques and technologies that aim to improve the speed, efficiency, and sustainability of construction projects.

The houses can be built quickly and efficiently as the construction process takes place in a controlled factory setting, the production process is not affected by weather, materials shortages, or other factors that can cause delays in traditional construction projects. The homes can be completed in weeks, rather than the months or years traditional construction projects can take.

The additional benefits is that they can be built to high quality standards, as they are constructed in a factory setting, the building materials and construction techniques can be carefully controlled to ensure that the finished product is of high quality. Because the construction process is standardised, there is less error and variation in the finished product.

Low cost prefabricated houses can also be more sustainable than traditional construction projects. Many modern methods of construction focus on using sustainable materials and reducing waste during the construction process. As the homes are built off-site, there is less disruption to the surrounding environment during the construction process.

The project is a feasibility study for a site on the outskirts of Peterborough with the idea of creating a community of houses which are compact and share facilities. The proposal is a form of intentional community living where individuals and families are able to live together in shared spaces while also maintaining private living quarters. Co-housing communities can provide a range of benefits, including:

Cost effectiveness and shared resources: The project will have shared gardens, laundry facilities, and communal living spaces reducing the need for individual households to purchase and maintain their own resources. Sharing spaces and resources will help to reduce living costs.

Community support: Co-housing communities foster a sense of community and can provide support to residents. Members can rely on each other for help with tasks such as childcare, cooking, or running errands.

Increased social interaction: Living in a co-housing community increases social interaction and reduces feelings of isolation. The intention is for residents to organize social events and activities, creating opportunities for shared experiences and friendships.

Shared resources:

Sustainable living: The project prioritizes sustainable living practices with renewable energy, composting, and reducing waste. Members will be encouraged to work together to reduce their environmental footprint.

Accessibility: The community is designed to be more accessible for people with disabilities and mobility issues making it easier for individuals to age in place and remain part of the community.

Overall, co-housing can provide a supportive and sustainable community living experience that can be beneficial for individuals and families in the UK.

The project envisions a large central planted courtyard which can house a great many of the communal gardening activities, allotments, play spaces, exercise and sport spaces. A barn like structure will be constructed in the early phase to serve as facilities for the construction and become a large meeting and activity space when the project is complete.