bptw news

bptw in the news

bptw partnership has been making the headlines recently with ‘the greenest terrace in London’.

Featured in a full length article in the Architects Journal magazine, the Gallon Close scheme designed by bptw for Family Mosaic achieved level 5 of the Code for Sustainable Homes, a first for both client and architect.

Forming part of a wider regeneration programme in Charlton, the Gallon Close scheme has already attracted interest from influential politicians including Mayor of London, Boris Johnson. The design approach meant successfully reconciling green issues with a need to integrate into the surrounding context of an established residential neighbourhood. The scheme achieves this in a simple unassuming manner using mainly stock brick facings to the heavily insulated external walls and an articulated roof form that cleverly reinterprets the ‘butterfly’ form of traditional London terrace housing to ensure orientation is optimised for the photovoltaic tiles on the roof.

The resulting new four bedroom homes provide generously sized affordable accommodation for local people. Gallon Close was funded by Family Mosaic and the Homes and Communities Agency to Code 3, with additional top up funding from the Greater London Authority, which helped to meet the additional costs of achieving Code level 5. Close collaboration during the detailed design stages between bptw and consultants - One engineer, CSA, Calford Seaden and contractors Osborne Ltd ensured the performance targets required were achieved.

To see the full article please click here.

Butchers Road completed

We are pleased to announce that the Butchers Road project, based in Canning Town is now complete. The scheme for L&Q, has redeveloped a vacant site to provide 109 new homes which are available for affordable rent, shared ownership and private sale, most of which are now fully occupied. Key features of this new building include: communal solar water heating, district heating for the development and amenity decks on the roof for the residents. This exciting new project was originally due to complete in December, but the project finished a month ahead of schedule.

Boris visits bptw designed family homes

Boris Johnson, the mayor of London, chose bptw’s latest scheme at Gallon Close, Charlton to continue his PR drive on the delivery of more than 20,000 extra affordable homes in the last decade in London despite the economic downturn.

bptw has designed the recently completed terrace of seven affordable family houses at Gallon Close for Family Mosaic. The homes achieve Code for Sustainable Homes Level 5 and are the first habited houses in London to achieve this target since the introduction of the Code.

New Gallon Close residents Andy and Joanne Shepherd commented ‘its like we have won the lottery, the house is lovely, we couldn’t have asked for a better place”.

Speaking from the homes in Charlton, Boris Johnson confirmed that he remains on track to deliver 50,000 affordable homes by 2012 and claimed that "It is testament to the dedication and determination of City Hall, London's boroughs, and the Homes and Communities Agency that, despite the huge financial maelstroms we've had to navigate through, we are on track to deliver more affordable homes in London today than a decade ago”.

Two projects win Building for Life standard

Printworks (Clyde Terrace) in Forest Hill, London, has qualified for a Building for Life gold standard from CABE- the national standard for well-designed homes and neighbourhoods.

The mixed tenure scheme which was designed by bptw partnership and constructed by Allenbuild for L&Q, provides 52 residential units of which 10 are live/work and commercial space for businesses on ground level.

Judged against 20 Building for Life criteria, which embody CABE’s vision of functional, attractive and sustainable housing, Printworks scored one of the highest scores with an impressive 17.5 out of 20. The assessors commented on how they felt the scheme creates a continuous frontage along Clyde Terrace and is a sensitive infill project which dramatically improves the quality of the area. The project makes use of modern methods of construction for winter gardens and complies with Lifetime Homes throughout.

The gold standard complements the silver standard bptw also received for phases 3&4 of Pepys Estate in Deptford. Both winning schemes will now be put forward for a Building for Life Award which will be presented at a ceremony in December.