Green Housing Demonstration Project
Outline
Brief
PURPOSE
The aim of the project is to demonstrate new ways of creating sustainable urban communities through two ecologically designed model housing developments, one involving new build and the other refurbishment of existing traditional dwellings.
In order that the resulting developments become real models for future sustainable design individual proposals should be designed so as to maximise the potential transfer of techniques and systems to standard residential schemes. This will ensure that the resulting developments are not unique special cases which cannot be replicated.
PROCESS AND OUTPUTS
The Green Housing Demonstration Project consists of two phases. Phase 1 is an Architectural Competition, which will produce innovative designs for two exemplar eco-housing projects capable of physical delivery. Phase 2 will be the Detailed Design and Implementation of the winning schemes by appropriate partner developers. This paper focuses primarily on Phase 1 of the project.
Phase 1 comprises an architectural competition with two complementary themes:
- the conversion of a large block of existing older dwellings in need of refurbishment using ecological building principles, and
- the development of new housing using cutting-edge ecological design.
The aim in each case will be to maximise the environmental qualities of the schemes in question, including a zero-fossil fuel energy need for the development.
A Competition Brief will be drawn up setting out in detail the eco-standards and other objectives that the competition entries should seek to attain. The Competition Brief will be agreed by the Project Group following the identification of appropriate sites and developer partners.
The project process will engage all relevant organisations with a potentially significant contribution to make to the delivery of sustainable housing in North Staffordshire. It will provide a focus for the exchange of best practice and will help disseminate the principles of sustainable development through the publicity generated by the project. It will involve public consultation during the project design and thereby provide a mechanism for the local community to become involved in the renewal of their area.
If appropriate, in order to raise local skills in eco-design it is proposed that the winning design teams establish a working relationship with local architectural practices involving them in the development of detailed designs and implementation on site.
LOCATION
Two locations are required for the project: a single site of around 1 hectare in size, which is available for new development; and an area of existing terraced housing, which is scheduled for refurbishment.
At this stage specific sites have not been identified, as it is considered that this is a matter best resolved through discussion with partners and prospective developers. However, it is proposed that the following criteria be used to guide the site selection process:
Both locations must be within an Area of Major Intervention as designated by Renew, and within the Urban Core of the North Staffordshire conurbation.
- Both locations must be eligible for funding from relevant sources.
- Both locations must have good sustainable transport links, e.g. by bus, cycle, foot or rail.
- Both locations must satisfy normal planning policy and development control requirements for residential development.
- The area chosen for the refurbishment project must have the support of a significant proportion of the local community.
- The new build site in particular should be highly visible in order to act as an exemplar development and help improve the image of the area, e.g. near to a main road or town centre.
- The new build site must be brownfield land.
- The new build site must be available for development, i.e. have no owner or occupier difficulties, which may delay or compromise physical delivery of the winning scheme.