- Location
- Perry Barr, Birmingham
- Value
- £3,000,000
- Duration
- 78 Weeks
- Client
- Birmingham Municipal Housing Trust
- Architect
- BM3 Architecture
- Contract
- JCT Design and Build 2016
Overview
- The project was split into two sites on a disused brown field:
- Site A: 10 terraced properties of two and three stories comprising of 6 three-bedroom and 4 two-bedroom units
- Site B: 8 terrace properties of two and three stories comprising of 6 three-bedroom and 2 two-bedroom units.
- A bold and contemporary design was developed using a palette of materials which respond to the local context and create an architectural style that is innovative, vibrant and modern.
Description
These properties have been developed to create an innovative and efficient house type that will be developed and used across future sites. The three-bedroom houses are innovative with their roof terrace and balcony amenity, and pergola features that act as shading/semi-enclosed shelter, and a support for planting. All of the houses have generous glazing to appear light and lofty from within. Ground floors are open plan further enhancing modern lifestyles and living with an uplifting airy space that has a kitchen at the heart. Upper floor bedrooms are bright and airy with generous glazing and roof terrace/balcony access in three-bedroom houses. This enhances amenity space and makes efficient use of floor space. The majority of bedrooms also have ensuites for luxury, privacy and convenience. The houses provide an enhanced and modern living using standard construction, thus providing excellent value and low maintenance for the residents.
To avoid the terraced houses appearing as monotonous ‘blocks’, we have stepped the roofline of the row of terraces by pairing 3 storey houses and alternating them with 2 storey houses in-between. This breaks up the massing of the row of terraces into individual dwellings to provide a more homely scale, appearance and feeling. There are elevational features that also contribute to breaking up the terraced houses, such as projecting header brickwork panels to create vertical breaks between dwellings, and the positioning of rainwater pipes. The use of block contrast blue brickwork panels is also a strong feature that stands out from the houses.
The front and rear gardens to the houses have artificial turf surface for all year-round green appearance, durability and low maintenance. The rear gardens are enclosed with 1.8m walls on Site A and 2.1m walls on site B in addition to railings to provide the feeling of a courtyard villa. The amenity spaces consist of front and rear gardens to all houses, with the three-bedroom houses having additional balcony installed with roof pergolas and roof terraces. All amenity spaces are supplemented with the private resident’s gardens that back onto rear gardens of houses. These shared gardens are generous and offer a secure garden for communal and social cohesion, bringing added life and security to the area.
