LA ROUTE DE ST. AUBIN, ST. LAWRENCE
Parkinson Drive is in the designated Built-up Area of the Island Plan 2011 that extends west, beyond the edge of the town of St Helier, along the south coast. The opportunity to build here made efficient use of the land, to secure further rental accommodation on an established site. The Client is The Jersey Homes Trust, a recognised social housing provider for large numbers of tenants in the Island, held in high regard, and the intention was to realise the potential of this land-locked site where we considered that we could dovetail three new houses into the existing estate of houses and flats.
The new houses are of a form with minimum external envelope, well insulated and thus requiring minimum energy for heating. They are designed to welcome morning and afternoon sun into principal rooms, without inviting traffic noise or pollution. South facing windows, which could admit excessive solar gain in summer and cause overheating, are generally shielded by adjoining houses or, in the case of the southern-most house, by a screen of established trees.
The houses are insulated to a high standard and built to achieve a high level of airtightness. Windows are draught sealed and double glazed, openable for ventilation and cleaning (without ladders). Materials were selected for robustness, longevity and low embodied energy. All of these factors are designed to limit carbon emissions and make the houses more manageable for the tenants and the housing provider.
Given the predominance of white or light coloured render and slate roofs in the locality, and indeed in the Island generally, the design set out to create a clean, crisp white render group of houses with natural slate roofs. The design is a modern re-interpretation of typical, modest, simple, plain rendered and painted, two storey houses found in the neighbourhood. Fenestration represents a balance between solid and void consistent with proportions of traditional houses, whilst reflecting modern preoccupations with inside-outside patterns of living. A deep recess is created at the entrance to give shelter at the front door.
Photographer: Andy Le Gresley
Building Contractor: Houzé Construction
