Construction has started on Porch Close (The Ardens) in Northallerton for Broadacres Housing Association. Accommodation comprises 10 apartments for rent to people over the age of 55. The project is due to be completed in February 2011.

The site is located to the rear of Porch House, the oldest house in Northallerton, and falls within the conservaton area. The building is largely traditional in appearance with some modern features such as the double height curtain walling and a glazed canopy to the entrance.

The building will achieve Level 3 under the Code for Sustainable Homes, using solar panels for water heating and high standards of thermal insulation. Each apartment has also been designed to meet Lifetime Homes, with full disabled access and storage for mobility scooters within the hall.

One of me because Steve will be disappointed if I don’t include this photo!

More updates to follow as work progresses…

Here’s a novel response to the ongoing MPs expenses fiasco: An architectural design competition to find a housing solution for MPs in Westminster and in their constituencies.

Download the brief here: http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/J…ion%20Pack.pdf

Additional information here: http://commonofhouses.blogspot.com/

Here’s a link to EcoSalon’s list of 17 green roofs from around the world.

Interesting to flick through for 5 minutes and don’t worry, there’s some more modern stuff than the house shown above in there too.

Eight units for Home Group have been completed. Built in partnership with STG, the development of two bed bungalows and two and three bed houses adds to six units designed by P+HS over 10years ago.

This and the following picture are of a Loch side B&B i came across in Broadford on the Isle of Skye recently.  This had an absolutley amazing view from it’s front window.

A modern sustainable highland croft that I came across on my recent holiday to the motherland,on the Isle of Skye.  One of these was designed by a company called rural designs.

a modern take on a highland croft.

Here’s a bit of a bizarre project, but worth a look - it’s like an Archigram design brought to life! The house is designed to cater for a self sufficient nomadic lifestyle.

It’d be an impressive sight travelling down the high street, but I don’t think you’d be too popular once the novelty had worn off and traffic ground to walking speed!

More info here at N55’s site
and video here via Neatorama

A development for Erimus Housing of 22no. apartments for social rent and 4no. bungalows for sale in Billingham

Apparently it rained a bit whilst I was having a sunny time in the French Alps. But don’t panic because the architecture students god Mr Hertzberger (and others) have come up with a plan.

Sourced from the Guardian Unlimited 21st January 2008

English Partnerships’ standards were revised in November, reintroducing minimum space standards for new homes on their sites.  These standards go beyond the old Parker Morris standards of the 1960’s (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parker_Morris_Committee).  New housing projects for English Partnerships’ sites will require dwellings to be a minimum of 51m2 for a 1 bed, rising to a minimum of 106m2 for a 4 bed (6 person) home.

England and Wales are the only countries in Europe with no minimum space standards for new housing.

The vast majority of private and public sector schemes we undertake will not require these standards but there is some useful design guidance on layout, storage etc on this imaginatively-titled website: www.swingacat.info

The government’s Carbon Challenge competition has produced its first winner - Barratt Developments, working with HTA architects and Arup among others, will build Britain’s first ‘eco-village’ on the site of the former Hanham Hall Hospital near Bristol.

Though on a more-modest, and many would argue more sensible scale, than the eco-towns, the Carbon Challenge schemes will have to go beyond zero carbon homes to inject a broader vision of ‘eco-lifestyle’. Hanhall Hall is to get rainwater capture, sustainable drainage, farmers’ shops, a car club and bicycle storage, while the main grade-ll listed building will be converted for community use. Onsite biomass CHP, supplying all homes in the scheme, will help achieve the requisite Level 6 in the Code for Sustainable Homes.

From RIBA Practice bulletin 427)

Design for Homes runs an awards system each year. Backed by the Home Builders Federation, CABE, Design for Homes, English Partnerships, the Housing Corporation and the Civic Trust, the awards celebrate well designed homes and neighbourhoods. Have a look here for details of the winners in 2007.

The criteria for good schemes can be found here - a good test against which to judge all our schemes? The link includes details of what they describe as “great schemes”. This guide should be referred to when completing a Building for Life standard application. It can also be used by developers as a basis for writing development briefs, and by local authorities to demand high standards of design and assess design quality.

Suggestions from us for 2008 entries to Claire Bedford please - entries due in before the end of February.