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The first properties proposed as part of our Blurton masterplan document are nearing completion. Here’s an image of the bungalows at the centre of the courtyard.

Our Ecohomes ‘excellent’ rated housing designed for Kier Group and Black Country Housing has been completed.

More photos and the original sketch designs are available here: Queens Road

The first two ecoterrace properties are now complete!

91 London Road and 63 Booth Street were officially opened with the help of renowned ecologist David Bellamy. If you ‘d like to come along and visit the houses we’re having a number of open days during the next few weeks. Full details can be found on the project web site: ecoterrace.co.uk

May 12th will see the official opening of the first two properties at a specially organised launch event. After that 63 Booth Street and 91 London Road are being opened for public viewing over several days in May 2008.

If you’d like to take a look and discuss the project with team members, feel free to visit us on one of the following dates:

91 London Road (map link) and 63 Booth Street (map link) will be open on the following days:

Saturday 17th May, 10am - 2pm
Tuesday 20th May, 10am - 3pm
Wednesday 21st May, 10m - 3pm
Tuesday 27th May, 10am - 3pm
Wednesday 28th May, 10am - 3pm
Saturday 31st May, 10am - 2pm

The first two properties on our ecoterrace project are almost complete. Visit our dedicated web site for more info: http://ecoterrace.co.uk

If you’d like to hear more about the project we’ll be presenting the project and taking part in a discussion panel at Think08 on May 7th.

Here’s the latest image from our project in Stourbridge. This shot shows the way each of the properties has a slightly different relationship with the street, depending on the paving and the door position.

Construction should be completed soon. We’ve also submitted the project for a Building For Life award - we hope to get a gold standard result…

(more details on Rob’s blog: no2self.net)

The results of the competitive bid for the redevelopment of Shard End in Birmingham have been announced this week. Unfortunately, despite making it to the final shortlist of three, our collaboration with Lovell West Midlands and Red Landscape was unsuccessful.

That doesn’t stop us being proud of our submission, so here are some images and an animation showing how we would have redeveloped this mixed use scheme of housing, community library and shops. Click on the images for full size versions (final photorender was courtesy of a1visual.com)

For the last few months we’ve been working on a project to refurbish 6 terrace properties in Newcastle-Under-Lyme. We won the project after a competitive bid last summer and last week saw the launch of the public web site charting the progress of the work. We’ll be recording the project on the eocterrace web site using a number of blogging techniques such as a written diary, a phonecam blog, flickr images and del.icio.us links.

http://ecoterrace.co.uk

The goal is to substantially increase the environmental performance of the properties and help take part in the progress of the national debate about the importance of improving the quality of the country’s existing housing stock.

One of the most interesting aspects of the project will be the post-occupancy monitoring work we will be completing in collaboration with the guys from Hockerton Housing Projects. In a couple of years time we will hopefully have something valuable to say about the actual results of some of the design techniques and products, as well as an understanding of what it’s like to live in a property like this.

Architecture Week 2007 is a good time to announce one of our latest commissions to develop an environmentally sound refurbishment proposal for terrace properties in Stoke-on-Trent. Continuing our explorations into solar passive architecture, the design delivers robust, replicable solutions to both the improvement of the fabric, the quality of the living space and the thermal performance.

Here’s a copy of our winning presentation and a fly-by model of the exterior showing the 2 storey spaces proposed as replacements to the standard usually outrigger found on Victorian terrace housing. The submission was completed in collaboration with Staffordshire Housing Association and Brown & Clowes for Renew North Staffordshire and Newcastle-Under-Lyme Borough Council.

One of our latest projects has just been granted planning approval by Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council. The design responds to tight site constraints and a brief calling for an exemplar, environmentally friendly scheme.

Carefully orientated to make the most of the south-east and south-west sun, the saw-tooth layout and innovative roof plan create an animated, interesting street scene.

A full set of images* can be seen here: Queens Road, Stourbridge

* the images shown are taken from the initial 3D modelling work - the wind turbines shown were subsequently removed due to concern about cost and their likely poor performance in an urban area

A full copy of the design and access statement is available as a PDF: Saw-tooth housing

Street elevations are also available: Street elevations 1

Click on the following image to see ‘fly-by’ animation:

This project was developed in collaboration with Kier Homes and Black Country Housing Association.