Pype Hayes, Birmingham 1989– present
The rebuilding of the Pype Hayes Estate in Birmingham is Axis’s longest-running job. It was a low-rise suburban council estate built in the 1930s, of about 1400 houses. Although the houses were of conventional appearance, they were built of an untested concrete panel system, and by the 1980s it was clear that total demolition was necessary. Axis were brought in by the residents’ action group to prepare an alternative plan, which soon was accepted in place of the official one.