housing research tour friday 10th may 2013
DESCRIPTION
HOUSING RESEARCH TOUR Friday 10th May 2013. Supported by . The following notes are pulled together by Debby Matthews and Pru Rowntree with photos and comments from attendees on the trip. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
![Page 1: HOUSING RESEARCH TOUR Friday 10th May 2013](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022062815/56816960550346895de117a2/html5/thumbnails/1.jpg)
HOUSING RESEARCH TOUR Friday 10th May 2013
Supported by
![Page 2: HOUSING RESEARCH TOUR Friday 10th May 2013](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022062815/56816960550346895de117a2/html5/thumbnails/2.jpg)
• The following notes are pulled together by Debby Matthews and Pru Rowntree with photos and comments from attendees on the trip.
• Thanks to all who came on the day out and contributed to the discussions; to Ros Brewer for her written feedback and to David Hutchinson and John Stockdale for pictures.
![Page 3: HOUSING RESEARCH TOUR Friday 10th May 2013](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022062815/56816960550346895de117a2/html5/thumbnails/3.jpg)
Barking Riverside
![Page 4: HOUSING RESEARCH TOUR Friday 10th May 2013](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022062815/56816960550346895de117a2/html5/thumbnails/4.jpg)
Barking Riverside urban regeneration
The setting in the middle of a desolate industrial and post-industrial landscape detracted from what is interesting design. A more promising landscape would have enhanced this scheme no end.
![Page 5: HOUSING RESEARCH TOUR Friday 10th May 2013](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022062815/56816960550346895de117a2/html5/thumbnails/5.jpg)
Creating a community from scratch
There seemed to be no social centre other than the school which you would not have known it was also a church / doctors' surgery / social centre if we hadn't been told this. We saw no shops of any kind.
![Page 6: HOUSING RESEARCH TOUR Friday 10th May 2013](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022062815/56816960550346895de117a2/html5/thumbnails/6.jpg)
Car parking and front gardensThe housing had some interesting aspects, such as the roof lines, "garage" arrangements and car port gates and balconies. The odd patches of planting at the fronts of some buildings seemed unkempt - as if it wasn't clear who owned them and therefore who would take care of them.
![Page 7: HOUSING RESEARCH TOUR Friday 10th May 2013](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022062815/56816960550346895de117a2/html5/thumbnails/7.jpg)
Back gardens need privacyThe back gardens were in use but does it works to have back gardens backing on to public open space as this gives rise to insecurity and privacy issues especially in a location such as Barking?
![Page 8: HOUSING RESEARCH TOUR Friday 10th May 2013](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022062815/56816960550346895de117a2/html5/thumbnails/8.jpg)
Open space and play The landscaping of the public open spaces, including the SUDS and crushed cockleshell paths were naturalistic but the construction seemed a bit slapdash. The play facilities were perfunctory and offered limited play value. The streets were not
playable unless parents are to supervise quite closely.
![Page 9: HOUSING RESEARCH TOUR Friday 10th May 2013](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022062815/56816960550346895de117a2/html5/thumbnails/9.jpg)
Long streetsSome streets seemed very long and uniform and not broken up in any way. Felt very urban which may suit the new residents if they have moved from inner or east London terraces
Wheely bins out on pavements are unattractive
![Page 10: HOUSING RESEARCH TOUR Friday 10th May 2013](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022062815/56816960550346895de117a2/html5/thumbnails/10.jpg)
Cambridge Trumpington
![Page 11: HOUSING RESEARCH TOUR Friday 10th May 2013](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022062815/56816960550346895de117a2/html5/thumbnails/11.jpg)
Trumpington Meadows Cambridge – A Barratts green field development
This scheme comprised comparatively conventional, rather dull if pleasant individual houses. The non-orthogonal layout of parts of this scheme created both privacy and good overlooking in some parts
A range of different building materials were used, with stylistic variations made it look more established and diverse than a uniform scheme.
![Page 12: HOUSING RESEARCH TOUR Friday 10th May 2013](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022062815/56816960550346895de117a2/html5/thumbnails/12.jpg)
Public spaces felt welcoming to non residents walking through
Residents reported that they didn’t feel overlooked by houses opposite
![Page 13: HOUSING RESEARCH TOUR Friday 10th May 2013](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022062815/56816960550346895de117a2/html5/thumbnails/13.jpg)
Some architectural detailing
![Page 14: HOUSING RESEARCH TOUR Friday 10th May 2013](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022062815/56816960550346895de117a2/html5/thumbnails/14.jpg)
But around the back Views of back fences and garages clashing with very ugly and huge sheds (for refuse, recycling and cycle storage) and perhaps the potential for some insecurity. The sheds greatly detracted from the scheme and were clearly not designed in as part of the scheme from the beginning.
![Page 15: HOUSING RESEARCH TOUR Friday 10th May 2013](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022062815/56816960550346895de117a2/html5/thumbnails/15.jpg)
Back sheds
![Page 16: HOUSING RESEARCH TOUR Friday 10th May 2013](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022062815/56816960550346895de117a2/html5/thumbnails/16.jpg)
A different range of styles in the next section
![Page 17: HOUSING RESEARCH TOUR Friday 10th May 2013](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022062815/56816960550346895de117a2/html5/thumbnails/17.jpg)
Great Kneighton, Cambridge off A10
![Page 18: HOUSING RESEARCH TOUR Friday 10th May 2013](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022062815/56816960550346895de117a2/html5/thumbnails/18.jpg)
Cambridge Trumpington MeadowsThis scheme was much more interesting in design terms with a mix of houses and flats, though it was quite hard to find the entrance doors to the flats. I don't think this helps people to read / navigate a scheme and leads to the problem of ambiguous spaces that no one owns and everyone neglects.
![Page 19: HOUSING RESEARCH TOUR Friday 10th May 2013](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022062815/56816960550346895de117a2/html5/thumbnails/19.jpg)
Different design styles and open spaceThe elevations were quite interesting in design terms and were not afraid to be modern.There was a pleasant open space which will be improved when the trees have grown and there are more people using it.We were told that more of these properties have been sold than the Barratts' scheme, though it was completed later.
![Page 20: HOUSING RESEARCH TOUR Friday 10th May 2013](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022062815/56816960550346895de117a2/html5/thumbnails/20.jpg)
Other examples
![Page 21: HOUSING RESEARCH TOUR Friday 10th May 2013](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022062815/56816960550346895de117a2/html5/thumbnails/21.jpg)
Prize winning development, Cambridge centre
![Page 22: HOUSING RESEARCH TOUR Friday 10th May 2013](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022062815/56816960550346895de117a2/html5/thumbnails/22.jpg)
Accordia Cambridge Botanical Gardens
The best development we saw in terms of quality of master-planning and architectural design and materials. The architects achieved an intimacy of scale which was very pleasing, though it is a large development. The mews housing is especially successful with a complex mix of intimate private gardens and roof terraces as well as shared courtyard spaces.
![Page 23: HOUSING RESEARCH TOUR Friday 10th May 2013](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022062815/56816960550346895de117a2/html5/thumbnails/23.jpg)
Overall ambiance Those mews streets with shared space appeared to be good for children's casual play as well as being good spaces for walking and cycling.
![Page 24: HOUSING RESEARCH TOUR Friday 10th May 2013](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022062815/56816960550346895de117a2/html5/thumbnails/24.jpg)
Local facilitiesThe only development we saw that had a shop was Accordia – below a block of flats
![Page 25: HOUSING RESEARCH TOUR Friday 10th May 2013](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022062815/56816960550346895de117a2/html5/thumbnails/25.jpg)
Play space The shared-surfaced mews' dimensions were quite tight and were certainly more pleasant and intimate than the other housing schemes seen today. The play components are provided at a good scale but this type of equipment appeals more to designers than to children with comparatively little play value.
![Page 26: HOUSING RESEARCH TOUR Friday 10th May 2013](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022062815/56816960550346895de117a2/html5/thumbnails/26.jpg)
Landscaping The hard and soft
landscaping were of high quality in design and materials, much assisted by the large trees retained from what had once been part of the Botanical Garden. The SUDS scheme was also very pleasant and the car-parking beneath one of the blocks of flats was well detailed.
![Page 27: HOUSING RESEARCH TOUR Friday 10th May 2013](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022062815/56816960550346895de117a2/html5/thumbnails/27.jpg)
Expensive private housing The private housing here was significantly more expensive and classy than the other schemes seem, even though it looked very dense. Some of the private flats had very large balconies and terraces which were beautifully designed and detailed
![Page 28: HOUSING RESEARCH TOUR Friday 10th May 2013](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022062815/56816960550346895de117a2/html5/thumbnails/28.jpg)
Social housing part of development The affordable housing was less successfully resolved with inadequate planning for storage of refuse bins, cycles and movable play equipment, leaving this block easily identifiable as the affordable block. On speaking to some
residents it was clear that there were issues about sound carrying inside the flats and one stated they had requested to be moved away from there because of it.
![Page 29: HOUSING RESEARCH TOUR Friday 10th May 2013](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022062815/56816960550346895de117a2/html5/thumbnails/29.jpg)
Notice on notice board on changing buildings in conservation area
![Page 30: HOUSING RESEARCH TOUR Friday 10th May 2013](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022062815/56816960550346895de117a2/html5/thumbnails/30.jpg)
Two articles on Accordia• Can Accordia really be a blueprint for housing?
http://www.bdonline.co.uk/comment/can-accordia-really-be-a-blueprint-for-housing?/
• Three's company
http://www.bdonline.co.uk/buildings/threes-company/3066908.article
![Page 31: HOUSING RESEARCH TOUR Friday 10th May 2013](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022062815/56816960550346895de117a2/html5/thumbnails/31.jpg)
Shopping centre with arts complex
![Page 32: HOUSING RESEARCH TOUR Friday 10th May 2013](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022062815/56816960550346895de117a2/html5/thumbnails/32.jpg)
Bury St Edmonds Shopping spaceMany did not like the design of the shop units here, could be anywhere although it seemed to be trying quite hard to look vernacular. The arts centre is good internally though the pitched projections sheltering the external staircases could be viewed as ugly and overscaled.