event


Homes for different ways of living at Olympia F


rom 24 March-9 April London’s Olympia played host once again to the Ideal Home Show, including show homes to


give visitors ideas. The Property Ladder Apartments and 21st


Century Cottage were two of the biggest attractions, offering inspiration to people tak- ing on a range of projects, from small-scale refurbishments to large self-builds. Property Ladder Apartments is a three


storey apartment block with each level designed to suit different circumstances, demonstrating how a similar sized space can work in a variety of ways. The apartments were styled by students of Chichester Col- lege’s Architecture & Interior Studio 2017, who developed concept mood boards for each room that were shortlisted by a panel of judges before final winners were chosen. Each apartment showcased its own signifi-


cant stage in an owner’s lifetime – a new fam- ily home, a first time buyer and a downsizing couple. On the ground floor visitors saw the space set out for a young couple with a new baby. The apartment was child friendly and showed a variety of space-saving ideas and rooms that could be easily adapted depend- ing on the required function. The first floor apartment was designed with


a young, professional first-time buyer in mind, with cost-effective solutions and the repurpos- ing of raw materials making it the perfect inspiration for those on a strict budget. The second and final floor addressed the chal- lenge of downsizing and showcased how the space could be configured to cater to the needs of a couple who will be spending more time in their home. The 21st Century Cottage was styled by


Chichester College’s Art & Design Studio 2018. Looking like a traditional thatched cot-


tage from the outside, the modern interior showed how the old and new can be blended together. Designed to provide for a family relocating from London, features included a kitchen with a splash of bright yel- low and a cosy yet stylish living room. The house also included some more traditional furniture synonymous with country living, blending with the more modern pieces. Sandwiched between the two was the star


of the show – The Rotating Home, as seen on Channel 4’s George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces. Designed by George, together with designer and master craftsman William Hardie, the 3.5 tonne, 4.3 metre tall structure features four rooms in one space. The Rotating Home was thought up by the


pair as a way of imagining space in terms of volume, rather than square footage. A circu- lar bearing ensures the door stays in place while the home rotates, giving each room an entrance and exit. The innovative house rotates using electric


wheelchair motors. Within 10 seconds it turns 90 degrees, shifting from an entrance hallway to a kitchen/dining area, a lounge or a bedroom. The toilet and bathroom remain static at the back of the house. The all-white interior features LED lighting and lightboxes, allowing each room to have its own atmosphere. Commenting on the house William Hardie


told Ideal Home Show: “The rotating home is literally revolutionary – it’s an exercise in rethinking the way we live, our homes and our space. By changing one simple principle, it meant we had to readdress every single item in the house and that came with many of its own challenges. I hope it inspires other revolutionary ideas and gives an insight into the process of design and invention.”


21ST CENTURY COTTAGE PROPERTY LADDER APARTMENTS


THE ROTATING HOME


Custom-build community proves popular N


ottingham’s first ever group custom- build community has proved extremely popular, with only one


home remaining in phase one. The Fruit Market, located on Bath Street


in Sneinton, will comprise 40 sustainable and architecturally unique homes. The £8m project is just a few minutes’ walk from the city’s cultural hub of Hockley, on the doorstep of Victoria Park – one of Nottingham’s largest green spaces – and is next door to the multi-million pound redevel- oped Sneinton market. Development manager at Blueprint –


who are behind the project – Alec Hamlin said he was delighted with the level of inter- est to date and is encouraged that people are buying into this new way of delivering housing, which is already extremely popu- lar on the continent. “Group custom-build is still a relatively new way of building houses in the UK,” he said, “but is a proven and popular concept in northern Europe. It offers home buyers the chance to truly shape the spaces and community that they will live in, without the headache of starting from scratch.” Alec added that the Fruit Market as a


concept was locally contributing to tackling the housing shortage in the UK – offering a sustainable and forward-thinking solution which could be adapted on a larger scale nationwide. He commented: “Blueprint is a firm believer that group custom-build is part of the solution to the housing crisis. It is a new way of delivering housing with the homeowner being a key part of the process, encouraging people to become invested in the building of their home from the start and reducing some of the financial uncertainty often associated with specula- tive development.”


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selfbuilder & homemaker www.sbhonline.co.uk


custom-build


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