Brainstorming session
Our team, composed of three students from the first year of the Architectural Technology course from the University of Northampton, was created under the purpose of completing a number of tasks. These had to do with the planning of a particular site in Kettering, UK. We were to lay out a number of houses on this particular site, considering a number of restrictions and calculations. We also had to bear in mind the topography of the site, maximising the usage of space.
A team of experts from the Taylor Wimpey architectural company have had a word with us, giving us three amazing lectures about everything that happens when someone is running of project of this sort.
After quite a bit of advice on surveying and constraints planning, architectural approach and dealing with the management side of thing as well, our team split up the tasks, in order to produce the most amount of quality work as possible.
Right from the start, each of our concepts showed one main layout solution for the planning proposal, one main road that would provide the access to the site, running from south to north, with the houses distributed along each side.
One of the specifications of the brief stipulated a 15% affordable housing solution. With this in mind, our team decided to choose four of the housing schemes that we were introduced, displaying them according to their affordability. With this techniques, we ended up with a 30% affordable housing, considering the current economic problems in property sales around the UK.
Therefore, it was only sensible to place the most expensive properties along the side of the road with the views to the river, purposely stepped to maximise these views. Then, we moved on the arranging the rest of the homes, according to these views, and also the amount of available garden space. The most amount of homes that were created, apart from the PA-33’s were the most affordable ones, continuing with less of those a bit more expensive and only 5 of the most expensive ones.
All of the properties were organised in such a way that they would not disturb the existing services, public footpath or existing properties. The exact calculations and schedule are provided in the Residual land value document, and the Project management sheet.
One of the tasks that were presented dealt with recreating and elevation treatment. Therefore, we put together a collage of possible elevation examples that are not too different in design to the existing precedents.
Another task stated the possibility of adding a house proposal to the existing housing schemes. Therefore, we recreated the plans and one elevation for the PA-48 example, as shown below.
Existing
Proposals
All in all, we honestly think that we have been offered an extraordinary opportunity, were we had the chance to show what we can do, with what we know. We had a great time designing and brainstorming, growing in our knowledge and information about this industry, and we hope to have a similar experience in the near future.
A big THANK YOU goes to Steven Leason, Kevin Pearson and Chris Leason and the Taylor Wimpey office for taking their time to invest in us!
Alexandra Vasilescu
Georgiana Melnicu
Alex Poole