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Challender Court

Bristol

Project Details

£2m to £2.99M

New Build

Practice

Emmett Russell Architects

Studio 6 , 1 St Andrews Road , Montpelier , Bristol , BS6 5EH , United Kingdom

This project forms part of a wider strategy being undertaken by Bristol City Council to deliver new build council housing on council owned infill sites around the city. The key requirement for all new developments was that the new housing should occupy sites that are already within the ownership of the city’s housing department. This project is one of three sites that were designed by Emmett Russell Architects on the Northern fringe of Bristol. All three sites are buried within suburban blocks, surrounded by post-war housing and were previously occupied by garages. Most of the housing stock in this area is made up of semi-detached and terraced houses and these projects address a need in the area for smaller units. Challender Court provides eight one bedroom flats. A key requirement was to provide robust, low maintenance, low energy homes that addressed issues of fuel poverty. The key design challenge was to make efficient use of the tight site whilst avoiding any overlooking to neighbouring properties. Early discussions with the planners highlighted concerns about the proximity of the development to neighbouring gardens. This led to a sectional strategy for the Project that provides light and airy first floor flats whilst minimising views into neighbouring gardens. This was achieved by introducing roof lights rather than windows to the north of the building (over the kitchen and bathroom) and providing a screened balcony on the sunnier southern side. The flats were designed using Passivhaus principles with high levels of insulation, triple glazing throughout, minimal cold bridging and MVHR ventilation to all units. Great attention has been paid to the public realm to provide an attractive pedestrian street in front of the flats with privacy to the ground floor flats and deep threshold to the ground floor windows. The SUDS strategy provides further articulation to the street.