{"id":64564,"date":"2019-10-09T14:38:05","date_gmt":"2019-10-09T13:38:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/?p=64564"},"modified":"2019-10-09T14:38:06","modified_gmt":"2019-10-09T13:38:06","slug":"norwich-council-estate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/planning-construction-news\/norwich-council-estate\/64564\/","title":{"rendered":"Norwich council estate wins 2019 RIBA Stirling Prize"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Royal Institute of British Architects<\/a> (RIBA) has named\u00a0Goldsmith Street\u00a0in Norwich, designed by\u00a0Mikhail Riches with Cathy Hawley, as the winner of the\u00a02019 RIBA Stirling Prize<\/a><\/h2>\n

The annual RIBA Stirling Prize, presented since 1996, is awarded to the UK\u2019s best new building. Goldsmith Street is comprised of almost 100 ultra low-energy homes for Norwich City Council<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In contrast to the higher-rise flats dominating the surrounding area, Goldsmith Street is arranged in seven terrace blocks, modelled on the Victorian streets of the nearby \u2018Golden Triangle\u2019 district.<\/p>\n

The houses on Goldsmith Street<\/h3>\n

Rows of two-storey houses are bookended by three-storey flats, each with their own front door, generous lobby space for prams and bikes, and a private balcony.<\/p>\n

The back gardens of the central terraces share a secure \u2018ginnel\u2019 (alleyway) for children to play together, and a wide landscaped walkway for communal gatherings runs perpendicularly through the middle of the estate.<\/p>\n

Parking has been pushed to the outer edges of the development, ensuring that people own the streets, not their cars.<\/p>\n

Environmental standards<\/h3>\n

Goldsmith Street meets rigorous \u2018Passivhaus<\/a>\u2019 environmental standards \u2013 remarkable for a dense, mass housing development. It is a passive solar scheme, designed to minimise fuel bills<\/a> for residents (annual energy costs are estimated to be 70% cheaper than for the average household).<\/p>\n

To maximise solar gain, all homes face south and every wall is over 600mm thick, and the roofs are angled at 15 degrees to ensure each terrace does not block sunlight from homes in the street behind.<\/p>\n

Even the smallest details have been meticulously considered: letterboxes are built into external porches, rather than the front doors, to reduce any possibility of draughts; and perforated aluminium \u2018brise-soleils\u2019 provide sunshades above the windows and doors.<\/p>\n

Building materials<\/h3>\n

The palette of building materials references Norwich\u2019s history, such as the glossy black roof pantiles \u2013 a nod to the city\u2019s Dutch trading links \u2013 and the creamy clay bricks, similar to Victorian terraces nearby. To ensure the windows echoed Victorian proportions but also met \u2018Passivhaus\u2019 requirements, the architects developed a recessed feature, giving the impression of a much larger opening but limiting the amount of glass.<\/p>\n

Bespoke steel mesh garden gates and brightly coloured front doors give each home a strong sense of individuality and ownership.<\/p>\n

The 2019 RIBA Stirling Prize judges, chaired by Julia Barfield, said: \u201cGoldsmith Street is a modest masterpiece. It is high-quality architecture in its purest most environmentally and socially-conscious form.<\/p>\n

“This is proper social housing, over ten years in the making, delivered by an ambitious and thoughtful council. These desirable, spacious, low-energy properties should be the norm for all council housing.<\/p>\n

\u201cOver a quarter of the site is communal space \u2013 evidence of the generosity of the scheme. A secure alleyway connects neighbours at the bottom of their garden fences and a lushly-planted communal area runs through the estate, providing an inviting place for residents to gather and children to play, and fostering strong community engagement and social cohesion.<\/p>\n

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\u201cGoldsmith Street is a ground-breaking project and an outstanding contribution to British architecture.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Alan Jones, RIBA president,\u00a0said: \u201cFaced with a global climate emergency, the worst housing crisis for generations and crippling local authority cuts, Goldsmith Street is a beacon of hope. It is commended not just as a transformative social housing scheme and eco-development, but a pioneering exemplar for other local authorities to follow.\u201d<\/p>\n

David Mikhail,\u00a0of\u00a0Mikhail Riches<\/a>, said: \u201cGoldsmith Street\u2019s success is testimony to the vision and leadership of Norwich City Council. We thank them for their commitment and support. They believe that council housing tenants deserve great design.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is not often we are appointed to work on a project so closely aligned with what we believe matters; buildings people love which are low impact. We hope other Local Authorities will be inspired to deliver beautiful homes for people who need them the most, and at an affordable price.\u201d<\/p>\n

Councillor Gail Harris, Norwich City Council\u2019s cabinet member for social housing, commented: \u201cThis is an incredibly proud moment for Norwich, our strong history of building social housing and our ambitions to raise environmental standards.<\/p>\n

\u201cWinning this prestigious award shows that it is possible to build fantastic new council homes, despite the challenges posed by central government cuts and restrictions around Right to Buy receipts.<\/p>\n

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“We are so grateful to Mikhail Riches for sharing our vision for these homes and helping us to create a sustainable community for our residents.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Goldsmith Street\u00a0was chosen by the jury from the following outstanding shortlisted projects:<\/h3>\n