The design of the building builds on what has already been achieved in MK, expanding and reinforcing those design principles that have proved to be successful, and avoiding making mistakes that have been made in the past. Our guiding principle has been that of creating a place where a community can flourish and it is possible to live for one's whole life.
We have created all the dwellings with no particular tenure in mind, we propose that the affordable housing units be distributed throughout the development in order to avoid the potential segregation of occupants based on status, and promote and maintain a mixed community of all social groups.
The block now contains 60 dwellings, which is about three times that of the adjacent blocks. This increased density will create a more lively street scene and greater opportunities for interaction within the community, as well as providing enough resident population to support local businesses, shops and public services / transport etc.
The dwellings range from studio apartments to four bedroom units, sizes of individual units are shown on the schedule opposite, they are comfortable without being excessive. Dwellings of differing sizes are mixed throughout the development so that neighbours are not necessarily from the same social group or maintain similar lifestyles.
All dwellings contains some degree of private open space, through gardens, roof gardens, or sliding folding screens that create balconies when opened. Our proposal also provides some overlap between private and communal and communal and public open space through the use of transitional spaces. This creates opportunities for interaction between residents, reinforcing the bond of the community.
The nature of the development itself is sustainable being a flexible structure that allows change over time. Our proposal also incorporates sustainable principles in choices of building materials through the use of natural materials, recycled and recyclable materials, manufacturing processes are also considered in the selection of materials. Systems for rainwater harvesting to reduce water consumption and extensive soft landscaping and roof gardens to absorb water to reduce the risk of flash floods. Photovoltaic panels incorporated into the roof covering generate electricity from sunlight. A ground source heat pump using geothermal piles provides heat for the whole building through underfloor heating systems, centralised resources provide for greater efficiencies. Each unit has been oriented with a double aspect so that throughout the day a measure of both direct and indirect natural light can enter the dwelling, large windows maximise natural daylighting with solar control to prevent overheating through passive solar gain. Natural ventilation systems negate the need for forced extraction. High levels of insulation using space saving multi layered heat reflective insulation ensures that there is minimal heat loss. Robust details will be employed to ensure the acoustic integrity of each dwelling. Domestic waste is to be dealt with centrally for most units, with the use of recycling schemes encouraged.
