We are delighted to announce that Beechwood Village, our custom-made neighbourhood for Essex, has won a national RIBA Award.
The 250-home community pays homage to the forms, materials, and local tradition of custom build, famously established by the postwar homes built by residents at nearby Dunton Plotlands. However, this project brings custom build into the 21st century through digital technology: homes co-designed by residents online and manufactured in a factory close to the site.
The RIBA jury praised the project for its ‘genuine sense of place.’ Our placemaking approach prioritised views and access to communal spaces over car parking and includes a series of ‘linked greens’ that connect with local playing fields, forming a wildlife corridor for the new neighbourhood.
‘Beechwood Village, co-designed with residents, shows how sustainable suburban housing can be delivered at density without being car dominated,’ said PTE partner Justin Laskin. Partner Carl Vann added: it’s wonderful to be recognised at a national level by the RIBA and demonstrates how an ambitious client and a forward-thinking planning department can raise the bar for housebuilding.’
Summing up, the RIBA jury said: ‘As a whole, the scheme creates a convincing, contemporary neighbourhood which, by employing innovative design and construction methodologies, has delivered a sense of agency, quality, and variety for its residents.’