Five sites comprising 23 new dwellings designed by Gale & Snowden will soon be out to tender via the Proactis Portal.
As part of the second wave of Bristol’s New Build Council House programme, the scheme takes previously undeveloped, council-owned sites in the Lawrence Weston area of Bristol and provides a mix of family houses and bungalows of various sizes to meet local demand.
Using a simple palette of robust materials, the design and detailing is common throughout the units to create a contemporary take on the local vernacular and provide a cohesive aesthetic between the sites. Developing Passivhaus homes as part of BCC’s housing delivery helps to tackle fuel poverty together with further supporting Bristol’s status of European Green Capital 2015.
As founding members of the Building Biology Association UK, G&S bring their healthy buildingapproach to all projects through the careful specification of materials and systems. Exclusive use of organic paints, stains and waxes helps to reduce VOCs and radial wiring along carefully planned cable routes reduces electromagnetic radiation, especially in bedrooms.
The landscape design focuses on key human needs of food, water, energy and shelter in a way that also enhances the natural environment by employing permacultureprinciples. It integrates the new developments with their surroundings and creates a sense of ownership and community for its future residents.
Gale & Snowden are able to draw on their experience with Exeter City Council in delivering 41 Passivhaus dwellings for downsizing units and family homes, plus a two-year monitoring project, funded by the Technology Strategy Board, which successfully analysed the dwellings in use and compared real time data to design models. A further 26 Passivhaus units designed by G&S have recently received planning permission for ECC.
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| Passivhaus Council Homes in Exeter for Exeter City Council by Gale & Snowden Architects Ltd. |
Planning permission was granted in September 2015 and tenders will be sought for the scheduled start date of February 2016.
