National Homebuilder Design Award Winners 2006

Sponsored by The Mail on Sunday, The National Homebuilder Design Award Winners 2006 recently took place at London’s Hilton hotel. The awards acknowledge property companies who make design excellence a priority in their new home developments. The event is an opportunity for the short-listed entrants in each of the 14 sponsered categories, judged by leading figures in the UK housing industry, to showcase their property developments to the property media world.

Over the past decade new home building has come to the fore, in line with increased pressure not only for more housing but property that is suited and designed to cope with our modern living style. A rising population has also meant that affordable housing targeted at low-income families and first time home buyers is also a housing priority; this is reinforced by a news report on first-time buyer’s blog Firstrung stating that Britain’s affordable homes target will be missed by 50% based on current new build homes under construction. The awards recognise and praise innovation in housing design which encourages the creation of well-planned community living spaces, improved building quality/appearance and eco-friendly homes built using sustainable building materials and efficient methods. The hope is that new home builders constantly seek to improve and craft homes that benefit not ony those that live in them but everyone who has to live next door!

The Winners:
Starting with a design classic, the Best House of One or Two Storeys went to Thunderbird, a luxury pad by Seven Developments. Developer Eddie Mitchell is a new kid on the block currently transforming sleepy Poole into the Uk’s answer to St Tropez. Having won over 13 prestigious housing awards, setting a new benchmark for property development and building a serious property reputation along the way, Seven can hardly keep up with the demand for their properties with many being reserved off-plan. Check out some of future projects here 

Read on for more winning categories….

With social housing at the top of the Government’s agenda, the Best Social Housing category recognises new developments helping to remedy this problem. Gun Wharf by Midas Homes is a housing project located at Cannon and Cornwall Street in Plymouth won this category along with Best Large Housing Development. The project has successfully replaced a run down post-war estate with a mixed occupancy development that reflects the current needs of the area offering 1-bedroom flats to 3-4 bedroom town houses. Out of 97 homes, 64 satisfy requirements of the Devon and Cornwall Housing Association whilst the remaining 33 properties are for sale privately by Midas Homes. The scheme overlooks the river Tamar and its innovative design uses a mixture of local materials has redefined this communities environment.

In addition to more young people need new homes, an aging population has created demand for retirement property developments, suited to residents of an elderly nature. Originator of the ‘Meals on Wheels’ concept, Brunelcare is a charity which has led the way in developing purpose built housing for older people. Voted Best Retirement Development, Colliers Gardens in Bristol opened in January 2006. Part of the Very Sheltered Housing scheme for older people, it compromises 50 self contained, state of the art flats and communal areas which includes a Restaurant, Therapy Room, IT Room and Hairdressers. Brunelcare provides both planned care and support services and have trained staff on site 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Our growing desire for mixed use spaces has meant that living, socialising and shopping is being incorporated into the same place more than ever. Winner of Best Mixed-Use Development, Crown Street Buildings in Leeds is a development mixing retail with residential housing.  One of most popular posts has been about Micro Compact Home. With land at a premium the winner of Best Innovative Technology, the MCH is a great temporary housing option as demonstrated by student’s at Munich’s  University of Technology.

New homes don’t always have to be build from scratch. Building renovation and warehouse conversions in particular have become popular of late as they give home owners the opportunity to live in anywhere from a barn conversion to a former Gasworks.

Best Conversion went to homebuilder Herbert Austin whose half-way between the cities of Milton Keynes and Northampton is a £650,000 luxury barn conversion setting new standards. Stunning features blend natural wood, glass, mezzanine floors to create a light airy space.

The Gasworks on Dublin’s Barrow Street won Best Brownfield Site, a collaboration between constructors Royceton and architects O’Mahony Pike. Now nicknamed Googleland, Barrow street once one of most neglected streets in Dublin, now has the full attention of the city’s major developers as prestigious tenants move in. The Gasworks development is home to internet giant Google who rent part of it’s 5,574 sq m (60,000 sq ft) office as its European Headquarters. There are also 600-apartment nearby.

One of the most prestigious awards of the night went to Countryside Properties who walked away with Best Housing Project of the Year for its Accordia development in Cambridge. Designed by architects Feilden Clegg Bradley, Alison Brooks, Maccreanor Lavington. The new development also won Best House of Three or More Storeys for Accordia Air, a development of exclusive 6 bedroom villas.

Other awards went to homebuilder Crest Nicholson’s Ingress Park for Best Landscaped Development. The Edge Apartments built by Quad Projects won Best Apartment Building for a development of 8 riverside apartments, in Strawberry Vale Twickenham which all sold in September 2005.  Best Small Housing Development went to Q developments for The Brooklands project which was designed by architect Mark Fairhurst. Finally Best New Home went to the Clearwater development in the scenic Devon village of Bishopsteignton Devon. This Gerald Wood Homes development of just 3 luxury 4- or 5- bedroom homes set in spacious gardens in a quiet location and were designed in conjunction with architects the Harrison Sutton Partnership.