Preston – ‘Gateway goes for Guild’ competition 2009 Approach and Philosophy We want to produce homes for people that can enhance their lives, and those of their families in the future. In a modern home with tight space standards every detail must be considered, and provision made for adaptation to future needs. We believe that good design focuses not only on buildings, but also the surrounding spaces to create civilized and successful environments. The context is the driving force of our designs, guiding our choice of materials and technologies to create an appropriate design for now and the future. Buildings frame, line, enclose and form spaces, and are the ingredients to create places, which is what urban planning is all about. We are interested in the use of new technologies and systems to benefit the construction budget and programme. We ensure that the maximum amount of time and budget goes into providing the best space and quality of the home. Design Principles The aim of the design is to create homes and neighbourhoods where people want to live and continue to live as they grow older. To best achieve this we need homes that are not only just inviting, carefully planned, comfortable to live in and adaptable, but also ones that can form communities where people can interact, socialise and belong. Site Planning We feel strongly that the building frontage along Meadow Street and St Paul’s Road should be reinforced and that St Ignatius’ Place should be extended through to the east. We have therefore created a new square at the end of the existing St Ignatius’ Place and aligned the new street further south, which should permit the retention of at least two or three of the existing large trees as street trees. The houses all have front gardens which provide a small buffer zone between the homes and the street, and give more privacy. The houses form a loose and broken building line which maintains the frontage but also gives variety and interest in form and detail. Car parking Parking is contained within two parking courts, one in the new public square on St Ignatius’ Place which provides 8 spaces, another off Meadow Street which provides 4 spaces, and 3 further spaces along the extended St Ignatius’ Place. This layout keeps the cars away from the houses, but still conveniently close, and the front gardens free for planting along the street edge. House Design For the larger two storey houses we have put the living areas on the brighter upper floors, maximising natural light, available sunshine and views out. Terraces on the upper level give external sitting out spaces that receive a high level of sunshine all day. The bedrooms are located on the lower floors, which are cooler in summer and warmer in winter, and where views are less important. Having the living accommodation on the upper floors means that there is greater flexibility in the use of the bedrooms, there is the potential option for sub-letting rooms, having a granny flat or office which can all be separately accessible. A summary of the main design features of the houses is as follows: • A heart to the home where family life centres on the dining room table and kitchen. A dedicated dining area outside the living room encourages families to eat together and provides a focal point in the home. • Well proportioned rooms to allow for flexible furniture configurations and ample storage. • The ground level bedrooms gives greater flexibility in the use of the bedrooms spaces e.g. for sub-letting rooms, having a granny flat or separately accessible office. • The staircase is central to the house letting in lots of natural light and has a gentle gradient making it safer for children and easier for less mobile people to navigate. It is generously wide to allow for a stairlift to be easily installed in the future. • By being on the ground floor, the bedrooms are naturally cooler with the warmer rooms above so less energy is wasted on heating / cooling. By facing onto the garden, they also feel more private. • Separate utility cupboards at bedroom level which contain the washing machines and dryers. This keeps the kitchens as quieter spaces for homework, meals, etc. • Living areas open up into the pitched roofs that can allow for future additions of galleries, prevents overheating in summer, and can provide top-light to maximise natural daylight. • The home has a double aspect so there is always the possibility for cross ventilation and by adding rooflights to the top floor the hot air is naturally expelled on warm days. The design is allowed to reach its full potential by using the most up to date technologies and construction methods /materials, as well as its inherently passive sustainable design. The design aims to meet at least level 4 of the Government’s Code for Sustainable Homes and will therefore emit no carbon on average over the course of the year by including the following: 1. Some rooftop planting with a variety of native species increases eco-diversity while retaining rainwater to reduce run-off. 2. Roof, walls and floors are all super-insulated with environmentally responsible insulation to keep the internal temperatures constant. 3. Exposed soffits and thick solid blockwork structural walls to provide thermal mass, which will moderate internal temperatures while also providing good sound insulation. 4. High performance composite triple glazing to provide excellent sound and thermal insulation. 5. Excellent air-tightness to eliminate drafts together with whole house ventilation to control air intake. Fresh air is provided without letting the cold air in while capturing the heat from expelled air with heat exchangers for reuse as heating and hot water. 6. Rainwater harvesting for reuse in wcs and irrigation. 7. Central computer hub internally to manage the systems and also store music and data. 8. Wireless and wired internet possible throughout the house using accessible floor routes. 9. Due to the nature of the external walls with thick structural blockwork internally with super-insulation to the outside, the external cladding materials can vary and be sourced to allow for local supply and aesthetics. Possible options are sustainably sourced timber cladding, re-claimed brickwork, reclaimed slates, render directly onto insulation or a multitude of other finishes. 10. The homes are developed as clusters which can be connected to any local central district heating / power systems and can take advantage of any future ground source heating and communal rainwater harvesting.