Blog: SECBE Awards 2022 finalist - Bowness Close (by shedkm)

11 April 2022

Net Zero sponsored by Willmott Dixon

Bowness Close

Net Zero Constructing Excellence SECBE Awards 2022 finalist

Bowness Close is amongst the first homes designed by shedkm for Greenwich Builds (Royal Borough of Greenwich). Bowness Close is comprised of two, 2-bed homes and sits within a larger plan for the council which will see up to 750 homes built for social rent. shedkm have designed over 230 of the target number of homes, which will be located at various sites across the borough.

Bowness Close project demonstrates how small, underutilised infill sites can be positively developed providing much needed new homes. The homes utilise MMC volumetric construction and have been developed as part of a Pattern Book of repeated typologies that promotes high-quality sustainable homes. The houses at Bowness Close have been developed from a base design and incorporate variations that are responsive to the specific site and planning requirements.

A key aspiration for shedkm and the client was to challenge design stereotypes of socially rented housing, with a focus on the quality and generosity of inside space as well as providing an exemplar of sustainable local authority housing.

Despite the constrained nature of the infill site, each home has been designed with large, triple glazed picture windows to maximise natural light and with simple, spacious, and practical interiors. Living areas and bedrooms have been designed with views connecting to the gardens, communal outdoor areas, and the wider site. Window arrangements, tree planting and adjacencies to pavements strike a balance between individual privacy and connections to the street.

Bowness Close sees the delivery of new housing that is an exemplar of sustainable, social housing in terms of both delivery and operation. The homes are designed to achieve net zero carbon and are built using volumetric modular offsite modern methods of manufacture and utilise timber frame construction. Offsite construction has been a key component in achieving the Client’s environmental targets, with homes designed and delivered to achieve beyond net-zero carbon targets in both construction and operation, and subsequent energy savings benefitting both tenants and the Borough.

Additional to the houses, landscape improvements and tree planting have also led to a considerable increase in the biodiversity of the site alongside the integration of SUD’s within the scheme.

Key achievement:

• Net Zero Carbon target surpassed with 106% energy efficiency.

• The homes at Bowness Close demonstrate how MMC homes can provide a high-quality piece of residential architecture that also acts as a standardised template for future net zero carbon homes that are attainable for local authorities.

• Significant increase in site biodiversity.

• Client: Greenwich Builds (Royal Borough of Greenwich)
• Project partners: Elkins Construction, Ideal Modular Homes, SCMS, Consibee, Blakeney Leigh, BCA Landscape

Find out who wins at the Constructing Excellence SECBE Awards 2022 Ceremony on Thurs 30th June 2022.

About the Net Zero Award (sponsored by Willmott Dixon): 

High environmental and climate performance in construction aims to meet present day needs for housing, working environments and infrastructure without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs in times to come. It seeks to limit impact on the natural environment and demonstrate whole life sustainability. It is most effective when organisational culture, high design quality, technical innovation and transferability are abundant. More info

>> Find out more about the other Constructing Excellence SECBE Awards finalists here