AEW Architects has successfully secured four Gateway 2 approvals under the Building Safety Act for a housing estate in Newton Heath, north east Manchester.
Comprising 312 homes across four high-rise towers and two low-rise terraced blocks, the scheme will be its largest retrofit project to-date.
AEW is both the architect and retrofit designer on the development and worked collaboratively with Manchester City Council (client), Casey (principal contractor) and several specialist sub-contractors to develop a robust set of proposals for the regulator.
AEW’s proposals will help Croydon Drive become a 21st Century, model social housing estate.
Each block will undergo a PAS2035 compliant Retrofit under the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF) route to dramatically improve its energy efficiency and safety.
Proposed works include installation of new insulation, upgrades to existing insulation, new windows and doors, introduction of new passive fire measures and creation of winter gardens.
In addition to performance improvements, another key element of the project is enhancements to building and estate aesthetics to make them more contemporary.
Colin Savage, director at AEW Architects, said: “This achievement is a unique milestone for AEW and reaffirms our commitment to delivering safe, sustainable and high-quality refurbishment. As we move forward, we remain focused on setting the highest industry standards.
“Our team has worked tirelessly with the key stakeholders to ensure we meet every requirement and this approval from the Building Safety Regulator is a testament to its dedication and expertise.”
Gateway 2 is part of a series of critical gateways introduced under the 2022 Building Safety Act to enhance safety standards for higher-risk buildings, introduced in the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower tragedy.
The focus is now on site works and maintaining a robust Golden Thread of information throughout the construction phase required for Gateway 3.
Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
