Urbanism
Environment
Design

info@urbed.coop

Our latest stage 2 assessment is on Blueprint's Fruit Market development in Nottingham, a group custom-build scheme for three phases of residential units on a vacant site adjacent to the Victoria Leisure Centre and the revitalised Sneinton Market.

The group custom-build model will see home buyers engaged in a collaborative effort to design and build their new homes. This will give buyers input into the design of shared spaces and the customisation of their own home. 

Screen Shot 2016-10-18 at 11.17.24.png

The footprint policy can be downloaded from the link on the right. 

Following submission in September, the Somerleyton Road project (being managed by igloo and using footprint® principles) has secured planning. The scheme, being brought forward by Lambeth Council along with Brixton Green and the Ovalhouse theatre, will deliver 303 homes across 4 buildings, including 65 extra care homes in a dedicated block, a theatre (for Ovalhouse), community facilities (including flexible spaces, a nursery and children's centre), retail facilities, training and workspace opportunities (potentially including a chef's school), creative/cultural office spaces, public realm and will provide a new home for the existing street gym. Carlton Mansions, a locally listed building with a famous Nuclear Dawn mural, is to be refurbished as part of the theatre development. This site has a number of constraints, most notably the railway line which runs down the entire length of the scheme, but it has responded to these positively and the proposals promise to be an exciting, quality addition to Brixton.

With a long history of involvement at Holbeck Urban Village in Leeds, igloo have recently secured planning permission for a residential led scheme to the front of the Round Foundry Media Centre, just off David Street. The proposed development includes: 57 apartments (a mix of 1 and 2 bedrooms), 15 townhouses (a mix of 2 and 3 bedrooms) and two commercial spaces for A1, A2 and B1 use. The architects are Leeds based Nick Brown Architects. Although there are currently some apartments elsewhere on the estate, these will provide some much needed units for sale in this area. This is an attractive location for city centre living, being in close proximity to the city centre and the vibrant business and leisure community of Holbeck Urban Village. Following on from a footprint® workshop with the design team in February this year, we are currently finalising the stage 2 assessment. 

We were recently shown around the 400 Caledonian Road site in Islington by the contractor SISK - a visit that will feed into our stage 3 footprint® assessment. 400 Caledonian Road is an interesting site adjacent to Caledonian Road overground station, with the railway line directly to the north separated by a public footpath. To the south there is a line of 4 storey Georgian terraces. The site previously contained dilapidated workshops and stables. Planning permission was granted prior to igloo buying the site, however a section 73 application was made proposing improvements to the scheme. It includes 25 homes (21 new-build apartments, 2 converted apartments and 2 semi-detached houses), as well as three commercial units (one of which will be in the old stables). During handover, householders will receive home user guides (produced by URBED) to help them understand the features of their home. 

Update: 400 Caledonian Road recently secured the Gold Award in the Sustainable Development category of the What House? Awards 2015.

igloo have been acting as development managers for the Leathermarket Community Benefit Society who are looking to bring forward a new residential led development on the site of existing garages on the Kipling Estate adjacent to Weston Street, SE1 (Bermondsey, London). The development of the site offers the opportunity to provide much needed genuinely affordable homes in the local area, designed specifically by and for the local community. The proposals cover 27 apartments and maisonettes, include 3 wheelchair accessible flats, communal gardens and a communal terrace. Although not an igloo Regeneration Fund project, the team have been using footprint principles to guide the designs and management plans. The development has featured in a piece in the Guardian, noting that "the involvement of tenants in a forthcoming council rent level housing development near the Shard could be a beacon for the rest of the capital." You can find a link to the article on the right. 

The architect for the scheme is locally based Bell Phillips Architects.