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Brecon Housing

Brecon Beacons National Park Authority

Project Details

New Build, Sited in AONB

Practice

Pentan Architects

22 Cathedral Road , CARDIFF , South Glamorgan , CF11 9LJ , United Kingdom

This significant project for Powys County Council provides 32 affordable dwellings as part of a high-quality, considered, residential development in the heart of the Brecon Beacons National Park. Designed in partnership with the Council’s housing department, the scheme reflects clusters of local agricultural buildings from across the locality, resulting in a development that is aesthetically familiar and sits comfortably in the National Park setting. Individual buildings have been developed to reflect local precedents, with simple forms collected around the public open space at the centre of the development. The layout aims to provide a distinctive sense of place, retaining all the high-quality Oak trees on site. Designed to conform to Powys’s Wood Encouragement Policy, local precedent will also be manifest in the detailing of the homes, with timber cladding, high-performance timber joinery and windows incorporated into the dwellings. Rather than a replication of pastiche historic features a contemporary language is proposed throughout. A limited palette of materials will unite the scheme, with soft red brick and untreated, locally sourced timber cladding. All homes will adopt a ‘fabric first approach’ achieving a dwelling emission rate approximately 17% above current Welsh Building Regulations Part L. The provision of good quality housing will provide occupants with a desirable and sustainable place to live whilst improving their health and well-being which are fundamental milestones in achieving the goals of the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act. In the summer of 2019, the scheme successfully achieved planning permission to rave reviews and praise from local councillors. The Design Commission for Wales also reviewed the scheme and gave a favourable appraisal of the project. Internally, the dwellings are all designed to Welsh Government Development Quality Requirements (DQR) standards and Lifetime Homes.