Further information…

Dazzle Camouflague – James May
Wikipedia – Dazzle camouflage

It has been great to see the development by Countryside Neptune taking form – An exemplary and sure to be award winning scheme befitting the most important site in Liverpool. This project along with the canal improvements and the museum of Liverpool have transformed the former docks and will help put Liverpool on a par with other European cities of major cultural significance such as Porto, Rotterdam and Bilbao. Can’t help but feel optimistic about the future of the city!

Artists impression of the Open Eye Gallery viewed from the Covered Public Realm

The feedback was great, we’re delighted with all of the positive comments we’ve received; thanks to all who have contributed so far. The design is developing nicely, and we’re on track to get our planning application submitted in the autumn.

As well as the exhibition, the winners of the TNG competition were announced. Launched back in May, the competition was open to young people from across Lewisham to design a new logo for the venue, now renamed TNG (The Next Generation). The winning designer will be working with graphic designers Bleach to develop the branding for the centre.

The works will include a new basement, together with extensive reconfiguration of the existing interior.

The roof of the new extension will be sedum, providing visual amenity from the upper floors, and reducing the impact on neighbouring properties, whilst the house itself will include a whole-house ventilation system.

We’ve just completed a consultation day at Wells Park where we discussed the ongoing design of the Wells Park Youth Venue with local residents and community groups.
The feedback was excellent, and we were delighted by the response we had from everyone. We’re now developing the designs further, taking people’s comments on board, and will be holding a similar event at Lewisham People’s Day this coming Saturday – please come along and let us know what you think.

• Saturday 3rd July 2010 – Wells Park Road / Coombe Road – Public Consultation
• Saturday 10th July 2010 – Mountsfield Park, Catford – Lewisham People’s Day

RCKa have embraced Offsite and other MMC on a number of projects, taking time to understand a range of systems which allows them to select the most appropriate for the job in hand. This research-led approach has provided them with the opportunity to employ these systems within projects which are often considered to be unlikely candidates for innovative approaches to building construction. They have also often encountered resistance to the use of new technologies; this is frequently down to a misunderstanding of what pre-fabrication really involves, coupled with concerns about appearance and longevity.
RCKa believes however, that the use of Offsite & MMC offers advantages over traditional construction methods which far outweigh any limitations. Fast construction time and accuracy of assembly are obvious benefits, but in addition, with a good understanding of the system it allows interesting architectural details to be achieved in a much more cost-effective manner compared to traditional methods.
The two examples shown on this page are winning entries for UK housing competitions both planned with Offsite in mind. The first is a design for the City Waterside development in the heart of Stoke-on-Trent. This scheme, involving the construction of some 400 new-build homes in the heart of the city, was designed to achieve Code for Sustainable Homes Level 6. Part of the environmental strategy involved the use of highly-insulated SIP panels providing both structure and envelope. The houses have large openings which look south over the landscape beyond; a clever sectional arrangement affords houses on both sides of the street the same dramatic aspect.
The second scheme is the RCKa winning entry for the Gateway goes for Guild housing competition. Set within a sensitive historic area of Preston, the use of carefully-chosen brick was an integral part of the entry for fourteen homes which responded to the surrounding context. The use of a pre-fabricated, super-insulated timber-framed panel was to help achieve Code of Sustainable Homes Level 4, through the integration of a mini district heating system, utilising an array of standard domestic boilers and solar thermal panels. A future upgrade to Level 5 will therefore be possible with only limited capital investment.
A common mistake in the use of MMC is to try to fit a particular system to a particular building style, resulting in a great deal of wastage and cost. RCKa believe that the use of a particular Offsite system should not lead the design approach; rather it must compliment it.

Run by the RIBA Competitions Office for Community Gateway Association, the competition attracted 74 entries, and the shortlist of four was announced in November last year.

Our winning scheme, comprising 14 new houses on a tight urban site to the north-east of Preston’s city centre, contains a mix of different unit sizes, with an innovative parking solution allowing an unbroken elevation to the southern boundary, and mews houses along a homezone to the north.

Dave Warlow, Community Gateway Association, said:

Throughout the Gateway Goes for Guild competition we have been overwhelmed by the responses and the quality of the submissions sent to us [74 entries].

RCKa have, with their proposal shown a thorough understanding of what we were looking for in this project.

Judges’ comment on RCKa’s proposals

This was a good team presentation from a practice that has relevant experience of housing in the region and a good balance of skills and past track record of working with Registered Social Landlords. The two lead architects both fit the ethos of Community Gateway and the local community and gave a clear indication that they would listen to the local residents and be comfortable working with them. The presentation was very sincere and the team gave the impression that this would be a special project for them.

The panel especially liked the focus on using local consultants and constructors, and the opportunities that the latter would afford for young people in the area to gain apprenticeships and employment. The house plans were well designed and suitable for the BME community, and the team had obviously got a good grasp of the site which was reflected in a well presented analysis. The issue of parking was handled ingeniously by bringing the cars into the garden spaces.

Links:

• Architects’ Journal, 21 January 2010 (subscription required)
• RCKa project page
• Community Gateway Association
• RIBA Competitions Office

We’ve recently completed the refurbishment of a Victorian house in Highbury, London.

Removing a substantial part of the rear of the house allowed us to create a large living room with unbroken views out to the rear garden. A dramatic, full-height storage wall, clad in zebrano timber veneer, runs the entire length of the party wall, linking the kitchen to the living room.

The main contractor for the project was LW Creations. Structural engineering services were provided by Reaction Engineers (www.reactionengineers.co.uk).