Using modern methods of construction, the project is now set for handover on 24th October after originally being earmarked for a 2008 completion. The scheme, on Queens Road, comprises 160 high quality flats and family houses along with 5,000 square metres of B1 commercial office space. Horace acted as concept architects, project managers and CDM co-ordinators on the £26million development for Wandle Housing Association, which has included sympathetically restoring four Grade II listed buildings.
The key theme running throughout has been sustainability – modern methods of construction have been used and a number of eco-features have been incorporated into the final design:
A special structurally insulated panel system was used in the family housesGround source heat pumpsPhotovolatic roof panelsGrey water recyclingRainwater harvestingOpen roof terracesReduced parking to encourage take up of the excellent local transport linksJohn Horace, Managing Director of Horace Architects, comments: “The sustainable aspects are clearly the shining light of the project. It’s set to achieve an Eco-rating of ‘excellent’ and sets a standard for other schemes in similarly urban settings. We set out with the aim of regenerating some of the areas most at-risk housing in a way that will be sustainable for years to come and we feel we’ve measured up to that aim incredibly well. "