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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

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)

Part of the goal of Open Practice day this Friday is to talk about how architects work. One of the projects available for viewing on Friday will be some recent design work for a single domestic residence on a challenging suburban site.

The challenges of difficult access, overlooking from nearby houses and substantial level changes were developed into opportunities through a series of sketches and diagrams. The diagram is an important device in architecture and the hand drawn sketch continues (in an industry ruled mostly by computer aided design) to be the best way to explore them.

Come and visit on Friday and we can talk about the way the design developed…

Images and comments from phase 2a – add further comments at the bottom.

These are a little out of date now, I shall add some more current images after my next site visit.

Centre windows about the ridge? More glazing bars? Render or tile hanging in gable?

Full glazing bar solution overkill? Single glazing bar solution underkill? Disagreement about half glazing bar solution on opposite side. Lead work detail to be kept in check.

Timber gable over girst floor window retro-fitted since first visit. This house type is being used in phase 2b with mock sash windows – it’ll be a more interesting elevation but we have also proposed a flat roof porch, it may not have enough interest to carry it off. The bathroom layout (largely defined by the hoist requirements) creates some imbalance with the position of the window on the first floor. This house type works much better as a pair.

Post detail could be more robust? Larger timber section size. Overall proportion seems to work well.

Better proportion of fascia on this phase. Lead was previously a proscribed material on WHA spec – had approval for this phase and received thumbs up from Chris J.

Kings Heath, Birmingham 2001—present

A 1950’s estate of some 250 Smiths houses being redeveloped in association with Waterloo Housing Association, Birmingham City Council and the local resident’s Estate Development Group.

The new homes are being built in phases and the brief is quite simply to recreate the Arts & Crafts residential and environmental qualities of Bournville Village within modern social housing regulations.

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Download: PDF sketch-plan

Initial sketch design images for Woolf House:

Upton, Northampton, Site B – 2004

The brief for this second phase of the new urban village at Upton Northamptonshire called for a high density mixed use urban quarter combining flats and townhouses within a clear hierarchy of urban spaces.

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Strasbourg Drive, Beaumont Leys, Leicester, 2004—Present

Axis successfully bid for the redevelopment of this housing estate in Leicester which incorporated selective demolition and the construction of 134 new mixed tenure properties comprising bungalows, flats and houses, along with extensive landscaping and reconfiguring of the existing road network.

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