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SELF BUILD I
Low impact housing development Location: Cambridgeshire (UK)
Project type: Affordable housing Project Value: Undisclosed Client: RBP Size: 7 Hectares Year: In progress Participants: CJS Planning, Inhabit Lab |
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The driving force behind the proposal is not simply about building more homes. It is about building more beautiful and sustainable homes and neighbourhoods that once again speak to our sense of identity, drawing on our architectural heritage with access to the amenities and green spaces that can transform a place from a development into a community.
A 2050 target for carbon neutral homes means that we’ll be building homes which damage the environment and leave people at risk of fuel poverty for decades to come, and that simply can’t be the case. We can, and must, reach net zero by 2030.
The proposal for the site aims to reflect these needs by offering local people 100% affordable self-build plots structured around a network of green corridors that function not just as transport routes but also as linear parks. In time, a greater, more varied urban ecology will emerge.
A set of design criteria will define aesthetical considerations that self-builders will need to meet. This criteria is broad enough to empower the end user to realise their project creatively, but ensures the collection of homes are in keeping with each other and remain harmonious with the surrounding countryside.
Each of the dwellings will be designed to the most stringent energy efficiency criteria – the Passive House Standard- with its high levels of insulation, triple glazing, thermal bridge free and airtight design and mechanical ventilation with heat recovery. Dwellings will be orientated to the south not only to capitalise on passive solar heating gains, but also to allow home owners views of the River Great Ouse valley beyond.
Amenities such as playgrounds, sports fields, allotments and cycle paths will allow the community to play, connect and thrive. A central hub area aims to link the two sites and is earmarked for leisure and commercial uses and includes a community pond and coworking spaces.
A 2050 target for carbon neutral homes means that we’ll be building homes which damage the environment and leave people at risk of fuel poverty for decades to come, and that simply can’t be the case. We can, and must, reach net zero by 2030.
The proposal for the site aims to reflect these needs by offering local people 100% affordable self-build plots structured around a network of green corridors that function not just as transport routes but also as linear parks. In time, a greater, more varied urban ecology will emerge.
A set of design criteria will define aesthetical considerations that self-builders will need to meet. This criteria is broad enough to empower the end user to realise their project creatively, but ensures the collection of homes are in keeping with each other and remain harmonious with the surrounding countryside.
Each of the dwellings will be designed to the most stringent energy efficiency criteria – the Passive House Standard- with its high levels of insulation, triple glazing, thermal bridge free and airtight design and mechanical ventilation with heat recovery. Dwellings will be orientated to the south not only to capitalise on passive solar heating gains, but also to allow home owners views of the River Great Ouse valley beyond.
Amenities such as playgrounds, sports fields, allotments and cycle paths will allow the community to play, connect and thrive. A central hub area aims to link the two sites and is earmarked for leisure and commercial uses and includes a community pond and coworking spaces.