This inspiring collaborative construction project, believed to be the first of its kind, between Havebury Housing Partnership and West Suffolk College gave unprecedented opportunities for Further/Higher Education students to work alongside construction industry professional’s providing hands on experience of a real life development project to build seven homes. Original design concepts were prepared by the students studying on the Architectural, Engineering, Construction Management and Building Services courses. The chosen design was developed into a viable scheme and following start on site trainee bricklayers, plasterers, carpenters, plumbers and electricians working alongside the Building Contractor to transform this brown field site of former garages into seven exceptional properties promoting healthy and sustainable living, flooded with natural light. The design intent was born from the client’s aspiration to construct a sustainable dwelling that responded to the challenging site context which promoted an innovative architectural response mitigating the issues of overlooking, protecting neighbouring amenity and made a valid contribution to the community. The key factors determining the architectural layout were the site constraints; site orientation; structural and constructional solutions together with the aspiration of creating an energy efficient buildings whilst also addressing lifetime home standards. Initial conceptual designs prepared by the students had a number of clear design principles which were retained and developed through to the detailed design. Firstly the massing proposed emulated the simple linear massing of the existing garages in a modular fashion providing two storey dwellings to the northern boundary and flats towards the south. Each of the linear blocks was separated by a communal landscaped courtyard providing access to each of the dwellings leading through to a larger communal garden.