UNITED KINGDOM

The winning design for the UK by Cartwright Pickard Architects promotes renewable energy, while providing comfort for its dwellers. For example, a pair of biomass boilers fired by wood pellets provide the lion's share of heating, while hot water is delivered to the apartments through eternal pre-insulated pipes. A domestic hot water tank in each apartment is also used so that solar hot water collector arrays can be used to offset the energy consumption associated with traditional water heating. To decrease water usage, rain water is collected and used for non-potable uses such as WC flushing and the irrigation of soft landscaping.

Additionally, the winning UK design capitalises its heating and cooling mechanisms by incorporating a green roof covered in vegetation, which would be naturally irrigated by rainfall. The roof serves to give added thermal mass to the area of the building that has the highest solar exposure.

Further to this, the Cartwright Pickard design utilises a flexible kit of standardised parts that can be arranged in unique formations through prefabrication. The firm's design proposes volumetric steel modules constructed from a fully welded hot and cold rolled steel frame that will be used for the sub-structure of the dwellings. The pre-fabricated modules are factory built and fully fitted out prior to delivery to site. 

"A kit of parts is made - like cars are made from standardised components, but you can create an incredibly broad variety and choice.  The components themselves can be manufactured in a very efficient way and using factory production techniques you can bring the cost down and the quality up," Mr. Pickard said. 

The International Union of Architects-approved jury chaired by prominent architect Andrew Ogorzalek unanimously selected Cartwright Pickard's concept as the best model for future residential development in the United Kingdom. 

Mr. Ogorzalek said the jury appreciated Cartwright Pickard Architects' "concentrated effort to design a comprehensive family of suitable dwellings using offsite modular construction".

Mr. Ogorzalek said the jury looked forward to a collaborative development process among the architect, developer and steel fabricators, with this design being "the vehicle to both meet the needs of the UK market and advance the proposed modular strategy."

The Living Steel programme is testimony that innovative ideas can be brought to life to combat global challenges. Living Steel's members not only achieve sustainability through a myriad of environmentally friendly steel residential designs, but encourages architect from across the globe to use this competition as inspiration for their own work, and ultimately a blueprint for future sustainable housing model.

• << Prev
• Next