Innovative housing project run by Plymouth City Council to provide much needed low-cost affordable housing in the city centre. The brief includes 99 no. 1, 2 and 3 bed units (44 no. affordable / 55 no. Market Sale) and 2 no. commercial units. The project started on site in September 2021 with Phase 1 (44 no. units) programmed for the end of 2022. Project Value: £12 Million Planning Approval Ref: 18/00432/FUL – 14th September 20218 The site is particularly challenging in terms of levels and set within a disused quarry. Key aspects of the project include: • Historically, development of the site has been unsuccessful with 3 no. planning approvals failing to be built out on site. This is partly due to the challenging site levels. • Our designs have been informed by detailed a 3-dimensional analysis on the site to arrive at a design that avoid the costly and unsustainable removal of spoil from the site. • We are utilising high insulated sustainable timber frame construction solutions that utilise modular off-site technology. This offers significant advantages in i. High levels of insulation to help reduce artificial heating costs. ii. High level of air tightness to improve building fabric performance. iii. Use of sustainable timber frame solutions. iv. Use of Air source pumps to avoid need for gas v. Water attenuation is used across the site to avoid pressure on the drainage infrastructure in the cite. vi. Grey water harvesting is utilised throughout the project to reduce water demand. vii. Green roofs are incorporated to maximise and enhance the biodiversity of the site. viii. Central car charging and bike hire centres are incorporated within the design. ix. The city centre site location is significant in that rather than the development of a brown filed site outside the city centre, pedestrian, bike and bs travel will be encouraged to help reduce carbon emissions. x. The development meets with a planning condition DEV 32 which requires the technical fabric (envelope)performance of the building is 20% higher above that which is required by Building regulations. The new housing scheme will encourage a more European living trend for highly sustainable, compact modern living. This approach offers to encourage a much needed sustainable and way of life. These well-designed residential buildings offer realistic opportunities to combat climate change with high levels of insulation and air tightness, natural ventilation and renewable heating technologies. Compact living offers the reduction of heating bills, efficient waste management and promote a lifestyle that reduces the reliance on the car to be replaced with heathier walking and cycling. The community facilities within the development will encourage day to day interactions with neighbours which would help reduce the isolation that so many people have suffered over the recent 2 years.