Churchwood Gardens is a development of 71 dwellings designed to create a sense of place and respond to the woodland character of the site. Located in Forest Hill, the project is formed from 9 buildings, each having a stepped profile allowing for the formation of a cascade of green roof spaces at differing levels that merge with the surrounding landscape, with biodiversity as a planting priority. The site consisted of a continuous screen of mature trees and hedges on the periphery and threes of varying quality on the central area. The conceptual intent was to develop a design that resonated with the unique character of the site, recognising the surrounding retained landscape and giving the users a house in the forest, an outstanding gift in the middle of the city. The buildings were allocated on site in the flat siting positions into the natural openings within the landscape. A massing concept of eroded cubes was developed, based on the ability to adapt and manipulate the form of each block to its context: each building grows individually to its own constraints and opportunities. The optimised scale of the cube allows the stepped spaces to form large private decks to units, as well as variation of green and brown roof spaces. All units are designed to the principles of the National Housing Federation’s good practice guide and the London Plan requirements. High quality living spaces with large amenity spaces in the form of decks and balconies that open out onto the landscape, connected to the ground with stairs to promote use and ownership of external spaces. The nature of the external spaces is well balanced between communal and defensible areas. Each building has a closed façade, which faces the boundary, and an open façade containing large areas of glazing and boundaries looking into the site. The closed façades have been designed to have an extruded centre that will allow for daylight to enter rooms while not allowing direct overlooking to neighbours. The value of the existing garden needed to be enhanced by the new scheme rather than only replaced by architecture. The design is giving this space back to the community as an urban garden meant to serve the residents and the neighbours which has several different areas, including a log structures for wildlife, a central glade and wet landscaped area. The design proposal incorporates several components that aim to increase the scheme sustainability, promote biodiversity and reduce its impact on the environment. Some of the key environmentally responsible measures are Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems, photovoltaic panels to generate ‘clean’ renewable electricity or improved built fabrics. Key materials used: • Vertical red cedar rainscreen cladding (to ‘open facades’) • Red cedar shingles rainscreen cladding (to ‘closed facades’) • Bricks Standout design elements: • Integration of the buildings within a garden environment by the use of timber as main material and green and brown roofs • Stepping cubes forming masses that merge with the canopies of the trees • Respect of the privacy of the neighbouring land, by layout the buildings and different units opened towards the garden but closed towards the neighbours (open and closed facades)