ICON development wins design award
Crest Nicholson’s ICON development, in Street, Somerset, has been announced as the overall winner in the national 2010 Housing Design Awards, beating competition from over 50 shortlisted schemes from around the country.
The awards were judged by a consortium of leading panellists from across the industry, including the National House Building Council (NHBC), Homes and Communities Agency (HCA), the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE), the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI), the Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) and the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).
The Housing Design Awards take into account a range of considerations, from layout and the relationship of a development to its neighbourhood and surroundings, to attention to safety, security and accessibility issues, external appearance, internal planning, infrastructure and sustainability. In particular, the judges praised ICON for its “evolution of layout, house and car parking design”, citing landscaping and the inclusion of 40% open space and public squares, long boulevards offset by pedestrian routes, and integral housing as achieving “the perfect balance of garaging, urban design and daylighting to bedrooms and living spaces.”
Designed by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, ICON consists of 138 one, two, three and four-bedroom homes. The homes were developed with the aim of creating a sustainable community by reducing the consumption of energy and water whilst providing contemporary living spaces. The scheme incorporates a range of energy efficient measures including solar water heating and low energy lighting, with highly insulated homes featuring central ventilation systems that keep energy consumption extremely low, and can help purchasers to save money on their heating bills as well as reduce their impact on the environment.
The Housing Design Awards also take into account the Building for Life criteria, which is regarded as the national standard for well-designed homes and neighbourhoods, and is presented annually to new projects that demonstrate a commitment to excellent design standards, place-making and sustainable development. ICON was presented with the highest ever scoring Building for Life award at the end of 2009 and the latest Housing Design Award follows a string of accolades commending the high standards and quality of design throughout the scheme.
Sandra Dixon, Sales and Marketing Director at Crest Nicholson (South West) said: “ICON is one of our most popular flagship developments and this award is a testament to the strong design aesthetic underlying the entire scheme. Quality of design, sensitive integration and management of public realm are all essential considerations in the creation of place, and we are committed to delivering truly sustainable community environments across all of our developments”.
This is the third time that Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios have won the prestigious Overall Winner category in the Housing Design Awards, and Partner Andy Theobald commented: “We are delighted to have received this prestigious award, and we hope that this scheme can become a national exemplar of sustainable living and a model for urban development in semi-rural towns.”
Prices at ICON start from just £99,950 for a one-bedroom apartment with balcony and parking and range to £244,950 for a four-bedroom deckhouse. For more information, call into the on-site sales and marketing suite, which is open daily, from 10am-5pm.
