Hortus Living - Tadpole Lane, Swindon

Specificity

The highly sustainable development, designed to Passivhaus requirements, will promote health & wellbeing and low energy demand housing (up to 90% less than conventional dwellings) in a variety of typologies including houses and apartments (30% affordable), creating distinctive architecture that reinterprets the pitched roof character of the surrounding area. The development will also deliver generous community allotments, associated public open space, natural play areas, orchards and wildlife zones, prioritising the retention of existing trees and introducing complementary new tree species.

27 new family houses are proposed in a series of 7 stepped terraces which undulate in response to the site’s contours, prominent tree clusters and views south over the clay valley. The orientation of the terraces ensures each dwelling benefits from generous south facing views, internal cross ventilation, and a small private garden that faces a communal regenerative garden with access to growing spaces, doorstep play and rich biodiversity. Each home is provided with a generous south facing balcony or roof terrace, promoting a multi-layered, stepped landscape, and enhancing solar shade to south facing facades. The distinct rolling roofline of the Blunsdon St Andrew Conservation Area, has been reimagined in the proposed form of the terraces, with pitched parapet lines used to conceal sustainable features such as rooftop PV’s, green roofs, and rainwater collection. The terraces are predominantly two-story, other than at strategic locations across the framework where four-bedroom family houses step up in part to a maximum of three stories.

The Dovecote Apartment Building is a three storey, 11 home apartment building proposed in the north-west of the site. The Dovecote is oriented to externally address the nearby Grove Cottages, and internally address the communal regenerative gardens. The distinct form of the traditional Cotswold Dovecot has been re-imagined to create a special new residential typology which reflects the local vernacular in a contemporary manner. The distinct cladding of the Dovecot references the tile roof forms of the surrounding farm buildings and Blunsdon St Andrew conservation area, slowly darkening from the shades of the familiar Cotswold stone rubble wall at the base of the building, up to dark red clay tiles at the roof of the building.

Sustainability

In operation, the energy efficiency provided by Passivhaus compliance, and renewable generation achieved with the current roof plan could support the energy consumption of the site which, would put the project on track towards being Net Zero. The Biodiversity Net gain for the project is 20%.