Chelwood, a replacement dwelling commissioned by a family wanting a modern home, has won the Brick Awards 2022 category for Individual Housing Development.
To support the planning application, which can be hard to achieve in the area around Chesham Bois in Amersham, Napier Clarke Architects came up with a design that drew heavily on the local vernacular.
As such, the design reflects the special character status of the neighbourhood, taking into account the rhythm and scale of the surrounding homes. The triangulated folded vaulted roof gives a minimal external scale that feels more like a triple-gabled traditional home.
Handmade local brick was used for the upper storeys, combined with the use of local charred timber for the ground, to create a concept that was both contemporary and referenced the previous house that was on the site. The facade is constructed from highly insulated panels, with the brick and timber skin on top.
The judges commented this was, “a combination of creative design and well-executed brickwork”.
New sustainable open market design
It was also welcome to see the Brick Awards celebrating sustainable building technology with the Barratt Zed House at the University of Salford Campus, Manchester scooping the Sustainability Award for a residential property.
Zed House is the flagship zero carbon home concept of Barratt Homes, developed in conjunction with Salford University, which could become a blueprint for better-built housing.
While custom and self builders have acted as champions for sustainability, there is a wider call for market housing to become better, and Zed House is an excellent prototype for the industry.
As such, it is the first new home in England built by a major housebuilder that goes beyond the new Future Homes Standard by delivering a carbon reduction of 125 per cent. The house features cutting edge technology such as overhead infrared panels that provide instant zero carbon heat and new air powered showers that will save money in water and heating bills.
Check out Homebuilding & Renovating’s excellent take on the Future Homes Standard and what it means for self builders.
About the Brick Awards
Run by the Brick Association, the Brick Awards annually celebrate the best design and builds that use brick, which remains one of the UK’s most popular building materials. If you’re researching design for a self build then industry awards offer a great insight into some of the best examples of design and innovative use of materials – and are well worth reviewing.
The Brick Association says: “Bricks, on average, constitute 70 per cent of the appearance of a building, but only four per cent of the cost. They make the soundest economic sense, especially as they are incredibly easy to maintain.”
Credit: Brick Association/Barratt/Napier Clarke Architects
