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SEEDA
BRIDGES THE GAP BETWEEN ASPIRATION AND PRACTICALITY IN URBAN
DESIGN
Bridging
the gap between architectural aspirations and practicality is
a major aim of the new housing design competition launched today
by the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA).
Details
of the competition - to create a high quality residential development
on St Mary's Island, Chatham Maritime, North Kent - were announced
at the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) by Minister
for Housing, Planning & Construction, Nick Raynsford MP, and
SEEDA Chief Executive, Anthony Dunnett.
Architectural
practices and designers throughout the UK and Europe are invited
to submit "well designed, commercially deliverable schemes"
that "demonstrate how housing can respond to new ways of living
and working" and reflect SEEDA's commitment to environmental
sustainability. The competition brief identifies the need for
"new homes worthy of this fascinating site... designs that are
sufficiently innovative to become benchmarks for housing in
the new millennium."
SEEDA is
interested to see concepts that exemplify high quality urban
planning and could be applied to other brownfield development
sites in the South East.
The site
earmarked for housing covers 6.8 hectares (16.8 acres) and will
link to existing residential schemes on St Mary's Island, as
well as commercial and leisure facilities, including the recently
opened Chatham Maritime Marina. St Mary's Island is being developed
by Countryside Maritime Ltd, a joint venture between SEEDA and
Countryside Properties PLC.
A design
panel, chaired by internationally renowned architect Piers Gough,
will assess the merits of each proposed scheme. The winning
proposal will be a housing development
- that
is profitable and popular
- that
complements its surroundings
- that
is sustainable and environmentally sound
- that
contributes to rather than detracts from, the quality of the
environment
- contains
safe, sheltered and attractive outdoor places
- in which
the car is kept under control and in its proper place
- where
refuse collection and recycling are attended to in responsible
way
- with
indoor spaces designed to accommodate a variety of contemporary
life styles
- with
homes that are intelligent and responsive to change
- that
are easy to construct and maintain in a punishing maritime
environment
- that
are good to look at
which
will be equally attractive and valued in one hundred years time
- that
could be adapted to incorporate alternative energy sources
Chairman
of Countryside Maritime Ltd, Alan Cherry; Director of Planning
at Medway Council, Richard Simmons; and SEEDA Chief Executive,
Anthony Dunnett, will join Piers Gough on the judging panel.
Chairman
of SEEDA, Allan Willett, said: "We are looking for talented,
forward thinking architects to come up with innovative yet practical
designs, incorporating the latest technology. This is a wonderful
opportunity to create architecture that exemplifies the urban
renaissance in the South East."
Minister
for Housing, Planning and Construction, Nick Raynsford, said:
"Chatham Maritime is demonstrating that with good design and
thorough partnership we can bring brownfield sites back into
productive use and create desirable places where people will
want to live. In the process we can help secure an urban renaissance
and sustainable development."
Chatham
Maritime is SEEDA's flagship project - the largest Government
backed brown field regeneration scheme outside London - and
was hailed as a model of sustainable, mixed use commercial,
residential and leisure development in the Government's recently
published Urban White Paper.
The competition
has two elements, SEEDA Chief Executive, Anthony Dunnett, explained.
"The first seeks to identify and shortlist excellent schemes
for St Mary's Island, capable of delivery in the short term.
A complementary process will be undertaken to identify exciting
design and technological concepts that can be worked up in more
detail. Looking to the longer term, the panel will also be aiming
to shortlist a further series of designs that may not be appropriate
for Chatham Maritime but could be adopted in other areas of
the South East, in partnership with some of the region's leading
house builders."
The South
East of England, Anthony Dunnett pointed out, is "the hottest
house building market in Northern Europe."
The deadline
for entries in the St Mary's Island Housing Design Competition
is 30th January 2001. The short listed six architects will then
be invited to submit models of their schemes. A detailed design
brief is available on CD ROM from: Ruth Gage, The Kent Architecture
Centre, The Historic Dockyard, Chatham, Kent ME4 4TZ.
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