Courtyard Housing by Patel Taylor

Courtyard Housing in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham was presented at the AT Awards live finals on 7 November 2022 at the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health to a jury comprising, Marion Baeli, Sarah Allan, Deyan Sudjic, Roger Harrabin, Ben Derbyshire, and Chair Catherine Burd. Read about how the project has stood the test of time, below.

Prominent chimneys give each dwelling its own clear identity, while bay windows let in an abundance of natural light. Credit Peter Cook/Views

Completed
2014

Patel Taylor was commissioned by the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham to develop a new social housing typology for the over 55s. The brief was to deliver 38 affordable houses of 1-to-3 bedrooms on two vacant brownfield sites.

Conceived as modern-day almshouses, the dwellings are arranged around a communal landscaped garden. Credit: Peter Cook/Views

Adopting an almshouse layout, a communal landscaped garden forms the heart of the site and is surrounded by single-storey accommodation. The communal gardens encourage social interaction and foster a sense of community. The L-shaped homes enjoy small private courtyards punctured by a timber gate and trellis that create a visual connection to the gardens whilst retaining a sense of privacy. Large bay windows let in an abundance of light. The buildings’ form is expressed with a simple palette of traditional high-quality materials, such as brick, ensuring a sense of permanence and longevity. Aluminium composite windows frame the buildings’ openings and concrete roof tiles express the roofs’ geometry. Prominent chimneys give each dwelling its own clear identity, a key priority expressed in stakeholder meetings.

Each home has a timber gate leading to a small private courtyard. A trellis provides a degree of visual permeability. Credit: Peter Cook/Views

The homes meet Code for Sustainable Homes Level 4. Energy demand is reduced through careful orientation, high-performance insulation, low-energy lighting, improved airtightness and thermal efficiency. Carbon emissions are reduced through materials, fabric efficiencies and on-site renewables. All heating, cooling and power systems were specified to minimise CO2 emissions, with high-efficiency condensing boilers, mechanical ventilation with heat recovery system, and photovoltaic panels. Water consumption is minimised through low-flow showers and WCs, and each dwelling has a water butt for rainwater collection.

Both the buildings and the landscape are designed to be fully wheelchair accessible. Homes can accommodate hoists from the bedroom and bathroom, allowing the residents to remain independent.