CASE STUDY 29
developer has planned in. These include a children’s play area, a community orchard, and 40 allotment pitches.
LANDSCAPE-LED TaylorWimpey entered into the joint venture with Clinton Devon Estates to secure Reserved Matters planning and deliver the scheme. Planning permission was reportedly soon assented following this, and construction is now well underway. Working alongside LHC Design – lead
‘urban designers’ on the project as well as architects and landscape architects – the team developed a “landscape-led” master- plan including a “well connected green infrastructure network,” sustainably supporting residents. According to its designers, the masterplan is intended to build upon the character of the adjacent ‘The Avenues’ Conservation Area, reflect the local identity, and embody “the best of parkland estates and garden suburbs.” To enact this, the scheme centres
around a Landscape Framework, which comprises the central hilltop, landscaping and outdoor amenities, alongside generous garden spaces for the houses. The open space provided Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace which, as well as giving the community an asset, helped the team to relieve pressure on the nearby Exe Estuary Spa, and meet the necessary mitigation measures of the Special Protection Area. This would have otherwise incurred “costly” offsite mitiga- tion payments, say the developers. Furthering this, accessibility to the countryside is set to be improved for all in the area, with new footpath links, enhanced hedgerow and wildlife habitats, and other improved biodiversity measures.
CHARACTER Just as the building’s plan and landscap- ing blends with its environment, the housebuilder reports that each property at Plumb Park has been designed to be in keeping with the traditional features of Devon, with the goal being to create “character-filled” homes. A range of house types are on offer
from two bed apartments to four bedroom houses, all with varying floor plans, sizes, amenities, and personalised kitchen, bathroom and flooring options. At the large end, ‘the Exmouth’ is a
four bedroom house type with a living room/dining area with a door to the rear garden, a separate kitchen, and a downstairs cloakroom. On the first floor are two bedrooms, one of which is double, both served by a family bathroom. Finally, on the second floor, the master
bedroom can be found alongside the fourth bedroom. In comparison, one of the smallest typologies is ‘The Bovington,’ which offers a range of two bedroom apart- ments, each having an open plan living, kitchen and dining area, with french doors, plus two double bedrooms and a family bathroom. Whatever the floor plan, each is designed to offer bright, open rooms. All homes have reportedly been built to high energy efficiency standards, as well as with exteriors designed to match the local vernacular.
A FOCAL CRESCENT According to the developer, one of the biggest hurdles faced in the project was how to build the centrepiece curved terrace, which Simon Gill of Taylor Wimpey says “was always going to be a big challenge.” This crescent of 18 homes is a nod to
the ‘Arts and Crafts’ style aimed for, and it is intended to define the development by providing a focal point for the other houses to relate to. In addition, with the road following the curve, it helps to create a more “natural flow” through the development, says the developer. This ‘focal point’ needed careful consideration however in terms of design and engineering, with the roof structures being one of the most complicated aspects. The complications largely arose in making straight timber appear as if it is effectively bending, and in addition to this the gable roofs on the terraced houses had a triangular apex projection on the front elevation, which also necessitated a curved design. Further, there was a desire from the developer for the roof spaces to function as usable rooms. The team at TaylorWimpey looked
at a number of options to achieve these aims, including onsite construction as well as offsite fabrication of the roof structures. Managing this onsite however would have reportedly been a “huge” technical challenge for the joinery contractors, where the controlled environ- ment of offsite meant this was the most viable option. To address this, the housebuilder approached Smartroof, which was able to demonstrate that its offsite fabrication facility had the technical resources to deliver this aspect of the project.
A COMPLETELYMODULAR SOLUTION The system chosen is described by Smartroof as a “complete roof solution,” offering housebuilders the ability to maximise sellable space by placing rooms in roofs. It comprises a series of
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