Urban Housing at Code 4

In 2007 Ipswich Borough Council identified a series of six sites it owned in the Borough which were suitable for development for 100% affordable housing. We were asked by Orwell Housing Association to join them as architects in their tender for the development of these sites. The proposals, which comprise 62 homes in total, have been developed in consultation with Ipswich Borough Homes and the IBC Housing Enabling officer. A number of the sites are already under construction and the completed dwellings will be let through a partnership between Ipswich Borough Council and Orwell Housing Association.

On this site – the largest of the group, is a development of 36 units for rental and shared ownership. The site is very steep with many retained trees, our task has been to maximise the development potential within these constraints. The scheme is designed as a self contained community with a HomeZone approach to traffic management. The project also includes the upgrading of a nearby playpark.

Homes are timber frame with brick, render and untreated European larch cladding. The development, which uses Exhaust Air Heat Pumps, achieved Level 4 of the Code for Sustainable Homes and scored 14 points in Building for Life.