Bellway’s Berry Hill development in Mansfield is on the verge of selling out, with just five of the 146 homes still available to buy. Over 95 per cent of properties at the site have now been purchased since the first homes went on sale in 2019. Located off Sherwood Way
A team of students from Coventry University have developed a concept for a house that can float whenever a flood approaches and shelter people for at least six weeks during catastrophic weather. ‘The Floating House’, can also be used as storage for food, water, medicines, and sanitation products and is
Paris-based architecture design studio, Cutwork has devised the full interior concept for a groundbreaking new coliving company launched in 2021 by leading French developer, Bouygues Immobilier. Committed to rethinking the next urban era, Cutwork designs pioneering spaces that reflect new ways to live and work. With the first modular unit,
Johnson Controls, the global leader for smart, healthy, and sustainable buildings, has been selected by the NHS for its six-year National Framework Agreement for the provision of Smart Building Solutions using the Internet of Things (IoT). The NHS framework will advance plans to support the delivery of smart hospitals, enabling
House-hunters in the South Midlands can now buy a Davidsons Homes property with a five per cent deposit thanks to a new scheme. Buyers can take advantage of Deposit Unlock to secure a 95 per cent mortgage of up to £750,000 on a new-build house. Davidsons Homes has signed up
Enjoying a tranquil location just moments from the River Wey, Weyside Grove is a collection of 10 two, three and four-bedroom houses by award winning housebuilder, Shanly Homes, located in the picturesque Surrey village of Send. Shanly Homes is excited to have recently launched its stunning-new show home at the
All homes are now sold at Bellway’s Shepherds Walk development in the Oxfordshire village of North Leigh, as building work draws to a close. The final homes are being constructed at the site, with work due for completion early this year. Bellway is delivering 116 new homes at Shepherds Walk,
A new Construction T Level qualification is now open for applications at the UK’s only specialist further education construction college. Leeds College of Building is one of a select number of education providers across England chosen to deliver a T Level programme in Design, Surveying & Planning for Construction from September 2022.
Construction work is about to get underway on the latest phase of Barking Riverside, one of Europe’s largest residential projects. Bellway London Partnerships is to build 107 apartments in Phase H East, part of the major regeneration scheme, which is delivering more than 10,000 new homes on the former Barking
Cornwall Council has entered into a landmark deal to buy SoloHaus ‘micro homes’ to help tackle the housing crisis and homelessness with modular housing. A total of 29 self-contained modular one-bedroom homes have arrived in Cornwall and are set to be deployed to sites in the coming months. The Council
Bellway’s Berry Hill development in Mansfield is on the verge of selling out, with just five of the 146 homes still available to buy. Over 95 per cent of properties at the site have now been purchased since the first homes went on sale in 2019. Located off Sherwood Way East, at the southern edge of the town, Berry Hill features a range of three and four-bedroom detached and semi-detached houses. Bellway is expecting all homes to be sold by the beginning of the year, with construction work on this development due to come to an end in June 2022. “Sales at Berry Hill have been consistently strong ever since we first launched the development back in February 2019. The mix of three and four-bedroom house designs have proven extremely popular with buyers, while many people have been attracted by the prospect of living in a newly created village neighbourhood with a range of community facilities and outdoor space,” said Julie Wild, Sales Manager for Bellway East Midlands. “Although there are only five homes still to be sold, the properties yet to be purchased include a variety of different house types, offering plenty of choice for prospective buyers. There are currently two homes available to buy, with the final three plots – including our two four-bedroom show homes which are still open for viewings – due to be released onto the market soon.” Berry Hill is part of a wider neighbourhood of up to 1,700 new homes being created on the edge of Mansfield, including plans for a new primary school, health centre, shops, cafes and pubs. The two homes currently available to buy are both three-bedroom semi-detached properties, with prices starting from £232,000. The final three properties yet to be released, which include the two showhomes, are all four-bedroom houses with prices yet to be confirmed.
A team of students from Coventry University have developed a concept for a house that can float whenever a flood approaches and shelter people for at least six weeks during catastrophic weather. ‘The Floating House’, can also be used as storage for food, water, medicines, and sanitation products and is designed to enhance disaster resilience within a local community at family level. The Floating House is attached to four anchoring steel pilings which fix the structure in one place. Multiple recycled plastic barrels are then tied underneath the ground floor, and the walls and roof are constructed using galvanised metal sheets. In the event of a flood, the plastic barrels underneath the ground floor will give the house a raft-like capability to float above the rising waters. The team from Coventry Business School, comprising of Duc Toan Nguyen, Oluwadamilola Gbuyiro, Jesse David Mamodu, and Pauline Nalumango, with Dr Mehul Chhatbar as their academic lead, entered the concept in the HUMLOG Challenge global disaster preparedness competition alongside some of the world’s top business schools and made it into the top six. Their rivals included MIT’s Sloan School of Management and Australia’s Queensland University of Technology. The HUMLOG Challenge is an international virtual competition hosted by the Global Business School Network (GBSN) in partnership with the HUMLOG Institute and is focused on tackling humanitarian logistics and supply chain problems. The competition saw 37 team submissions from 16 countries on six different continents, representing 21 business schools. It focused on community disaster resilience in recognition of how the Covid-19 pandemic has tested communities across the world on preparedness and resilience. The HUMLOG Challenge recognises that these areas are essential to reduce the potential impact of humanitarian crises on a community’s most vulnerable. “The whole journey of participating in the HUMLOG challenge was both extraordinary and exciting for us. The four-week programme has not only enlightened us with a new concept of humanitarian logistics but also enabled our entrepreneurial skills to generate innovative solutions for those in need. Although our team did not win, the competition has significantly enhanced our teamwork skills, which is very important for our future careers,” said Duc Toan Nguyen, Team Coventry member. “Most importantly, I know for sure that my teammates Pauline, Jesse and Dami will be my friends for life no matter where we are long after our graduation.” Professor Sukanlaya Sawang, Associate Dean for Global Engagement, Coventry Business School, and GBSN Ambassador, said: “It’s wonderful to see our business school students being selected to the final round, alongside world-leading business schools such as MIT. This shows how Coventry Business School has been growing in reputation, especially in the global context.” Colorado State University Business School took the first prize, worth US$5,000, for their solution addressing local community involvement on mitigation and response for climate-induced natural disasters in Mozambique via a resilience kit.
Paris-based architecture design studio, Cutwork has devised the full interior concept for a groundbreaking new coliving company launched in 2021 by leading French developer, Bouygues Immobilier. Committed to rethinking the next urban era, Cutwork designs pioneering spaces that reflect new ways to live and work. With the first modular unit, ‘PolyRoom’, showcased in Paris until March 2022, and the initial completed site due to open in 2023, Bouygues Immobilier Coliving is dedicated to simplifying the way in which we rent, use, and share living spaces. Cutwork was commissioned by Bouygues Immobilier to reinvent today’s residential model, presenting a versatile living space that operates beyond the standard conventions of the contemporary home. This new company is designed to make it easier for working people, between 25 and 40 years old, to access high-quality, affordable living and a socially connected life, addressing the widespread epidemic of loneliness within this generation. The brand offers all-inclusive services and accommodates both short and long stays. The project incorporates prefab architecture conceived and designed by Cutwork, then fabricated by DMD Modular. These prefab bedroom modules can be produced in bulk and stacked like LEGO bricks to construct the complete residential building in significantly less time than conventional construction methods. The units help define the distinct brand experience with high-end materials and could accelerate construction and expansion across France, vastly improving the quality control of the finished building. Bouygues Immobilier plans to open up to 15 sites by 2025, providing 2,500 bedrooms. A first site for the full modular construction is in early discussions and planning. Cutwork is a Paris-based architecture design studio focused on new ways to live and work. They design prefab architecture, interior spaces, and custom furniture for pioneering companies who are reimagining our next urban era. Projects include Xavier Niel’s Station F, the world’s largest start-up campus, Flatmates, the first large-scale coliving space in Paris, and Cortex Shelter, an innovative just-add-water refugee housing solution. The company was among the top 30 “CleanTech” companies in Europe in 2018. In 2019, TEDx asked the studio cofounders to deliver a talk on ‘the future of shared architecture and urbanization.’ In 2020, Cutwork received a FRAME Award for Societal Innovation of the Year, becoming the youngest studio to ever win a FRAME
Johnson Controls, the global leader for smart, healthy, and sustainable buildings, has been selected by the NHS for its six-year National Framework Agreement for the provision of Smart Building Solutions using the Internet of Things (IoT). The NHS framework will advance plans to support the delivery of smart hospitals, enabling local authorities and wider public bodies to more readily procure smart building technologies, providing time and money saving efficiencies. The solutions represent a serious step change in the ambition to set a new standard in the UK’s ageing healthcare infrastructure through technical innovation. A single supplier framework, public bodies now have the opportunity to tap into innovative buildings solutions that enable automated monitoring and control of energy use, building occupancy, and asset visibility. The NHS framework is at the forefront of bringing in new digital capabilities across hospitals in a bid to deliver superior experiences for users while decreasing energy use and emissions, in line with the UK’s ambitious net-zero objectives. Led by The Countess of Chester Commercial Hospital Procurement Services, the NHS framework will drive the transformation of smart hospitals, creating world class facilities fit for the future and improving efficiency through data-enabled solutions that respond to the needs of patients, staff, and visitors. Smart hospitals deliver a myriad of benefits from ensuring clean air quality for doctors and patients, to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and incorporating smart systems that reduce friction and improve communications. Such technologies play a vital role in reducing costs while enhancing patient and staff satisfaction, patient care, and quality. “We are excited to have been selected by the NHS. Our technology makes it possible to support sustainability goals at scale and has the enormous potential to shape the smart hospitals and healthcare facilities of the future. We look forward to the innovations we can bring to all occupants at every level across our healthcare sector,” said Andy Ellis, Vice President and General Manager, Johnson Controls UK&I. Innovating hospitals with cutting edge solutions provides real world advantages. In healthcare settings, intelligent HVAC systems mean that healthcare practitioners breathe better quality air, managed automatically, leading to better decision making, crucial for improved patient outcomes. Smart IoT technologies can also enhance a raft of patient and clinician experiences, from reducing queues to controlling lighting and heating, automatic check-in to tracking of equipment, cleaning, and voice control.
House-hunters in the South Midlands can now buy a Davidsons Homes property with a five per cent deposit thanks to a new scheme. Buyers can take advantage of Deposit Unlock to secure a 95 per cent mortgage of up to £750,000 on a new-build house. Davidsons Homes has signed up to the Deposit Unlock initiative, which has been created by the Home Builders Federation (HBF) to give first-time buyers and second-steppers the opportunity of purchasing with a smaller deposit. “This is great news for prospective house buyers as it represents a chance for people to afford to buy the new home they have dreamed of but without having to save for years for a large deposit,” said Simon Tyler, Sales Director for Davidsons Homes South Midlands. “Due to the lack of 95 per cent loan to value mortgages on the market, raising a deposit for a house remains the biggest hurdle for most would-be first-time buyers. While the Help to Buy scheme also provides the opportunity to purchase with a five per cent deposit, the regional price caps mean that not all first-time buyers are able to take advantage of it. “Deposit Unlock will increase the range of new-build properties which can be purchased with a lower deposit, as well as assisting second-steppers who are not eligible for the Help to Buy scheme. “We’re pleased to be part of this new initiative which will enable more people to achieve their dream of homeownership. We would encourage anyone who might benefit from Deposit Unlock to get in touch. Our fully trained staff will explain everything and walk people through the process which could see them buying their dream home much sooner than they thought.” Davidsons Homes is currently building new homes at The Wheatfields development in Hanslope, near Milton Keynes, Woodlands Rest in Meppershall, Bedfordshire, Davidsons at Houlton in Rugby, Sanders Fields in Rushden, Northamptonshire, and Lubenham View in Market Harborough, Leicestershire.
Enjoying a tranquil location just moments from the River Wey, Weyside Grove is a collection of 10 two, three and four-bedroom houses by award winning housebuilder, Shanly Homes, located in the picturesque Surrey village of Send. Shanly Homes is excited to have recently launched its stunning-new show home at the development, featuring an interior design scheme by New i.d. Taking inspiration from the development’s peaceful surroundings, the stylish show home can provide inspiration for those interested in purchasing at Weyside Grove. “The homes stunning backdrop really inspired the scheme for the Weyside Grove show house. Our neutral palette is juxtaposed with vibrant blues and greens that represent the River Wey and create a calming feel. The homes at Weyside Grove have been beautifully crafted, and we anticipate that buyers will be eager to show them off to friends and family. For this reason, we have provided plenty of seating throughout the design, to allow space for guests. The scheme has been designed to appeal to families who are looking to enjoy these properties, although homes at this development are perfect for a range of buyers,” commented Kiran Bhatia, Senior Interior Designer at New i.d. All homes at Weyside Grove have been expertly created to meet the needs of the modern buyer. The show home is a three-bedroom semi-detached house, complete with a carport for off-road parking. A spacious living/dining area features a matching range of furniture, creating a sense of continuity throughout the open-plan space. A sleek dining table seats six, providing ample room for guests. The kitchen enjoys a prime position at the front of the property and is complete with a range of quality branded appliances. Upstairs, the primary bedroom features an impressive floor to ceiling headboard and wide bedside tables. A contemporary en-suite shower room and wide-fitted wardrobes complete the space. Along the hallway a further spacious bedroom showcases how space could be transformed for teenagers. A sleek floating desk is ideal for studying, whilst also coupling as a dressing table. The final bedroom has been transformed into a comfortable retreat for a young child. Decorative cloud wallpaper and a cloud pendant lighting create a sense of mystic and inspire child-like imagination. Weyside Grove enjoys a tranquil village location, just a 4-minute walk from a traditional English pub, The New Inn. Send is ideally positioned equidistant between Guildford and Woking, meaning buyers can enjoy a range of shops, cafes and restaurants all within a 10-minute drive. For families, several schools are located nearby, including Send CofE Primary School which is rated ‘good’ by Ofsted.
All homes are now sold at Bellway’s Shepherds Walk development in the Oxfordshire village of North Leigh, as building work draws to a close. The final homes are being constructed at the site, with work due for completion early this year. Bellway is delivering 116 new homes at Shepherds Walk, off New Yatt Road, with half of these (58 homes) allocated as affordable housing. “Shepherds Walk has been an incredibly successful development, and we have now sold all private homes before construction work has been completed,” said Elaine Brown, Head of Sales for Bellway South Midlands. “This allows us to focus on completing the remaining work at the site and delivering a legacy of more than 100 much-needed new homes for residents of North Leigh, including a selection of affordable homes that will greatly benefit the local community. All affordable homes at Shepherds Walk have already been completed and handed over, while the final few private homeowners will be moving into their new property at the development very soon.” The house development is located in a village setting on the edge of the Oxfordshire Cotswolds and is a mix of two, three, four and five-bedroom homes that have appealed to a wide range of buyers. “Selling all private homes at Shepherds Walk reflects the high demand for new homes in the area and we are now looking forward to welcoming the final homeowners to the development in the coming weeks and months. The last steps for Bellway will be to wrap up the building work on the final homes at Shepherds Walk, which we hope will be completed in early 2022, as well as finishing the remaining roads before moving all operational vehicles off the site,” concluded Elaine. Bellway Homes is a FTSE 250 Index listed residential housebuilder based in Newcastle upon Tyne, employing almost 3,000 staff across 22 Divisions across England, Scotland and Wales.
A new Construction T Level qualification is now open for applications at the UK’s only specialist further education construction college. Leeds College of Building is one of a select number of education providers across England chosen to deliver a T Level programme in Design, Surveying & Planning for Construction from September 2022. At the heart of the course, a 45-day industry placement opens opportunities for the brightest talent entering the market. T Levels are a new, two-year qualification for 16- to 19-year-olds. Designed with employers, each T Level is equivalent to three A levels and has been developed to meet industry needs and prepare students for work. To gain approved provider status, the College applied to the Department for Education demonstrating a positive commitment from local employers and detailing the specialist equipment and expertise offered. This application was backed by the College’s Good Ofsted rating in 2019. Leeds College of Building is one of only a handful of providers in Yorkshire to offer the Design, Surveying & Planning for Construction T Level, and the only specialist further education construction college to offer this in the UK. The T Level will use industry-standard equipment at both its North Street and South Bank Campuses, delivered by expert staff from the construction industry. According to the Department for Education, T Levels give students the skills to progress and help rebuild the economy following the Coronavirus pandemic. Typical employment on completion might include technician roles in architecture, building services, civil engineering, surveying or town planning. “Leeds College of Building is the UK’s only general Further Education college specialising in Construction and the Built Environment. As such, we are perfectly placed to work with our established network of regional and national employers to enhance T Level opportunities for students,” said Nikki Davis, Vice Principal at Leeds College of Building. “T Level students at Leeds College of Building will have access to state-of-the-art facilities and specialist teaching expertise. Students also benefit from established progression opportunities within higher and degree-level apprenticeships at the College and employment opportunities through our construction partners. “Leeds College of Building is committed to equality, diversity, and inclusion. This new qualification will help us to better serve the region’s young people and workforce, opening up even more opportunities into high paying, skilled jobs.” Time is split between 80% classroom learning and 20% industry placement lasting approximately seven weeks. All students will develop a general understanding of construction, including accurate and appropriate measurements, construction methods and building regulations, digital engineering techniques, design principles and processes, mathematical problem solving, and sustainability and environmental impact. In addition to the core content, students at Leeds College of Building will specialise in surveying and design for construction and the built environment. They will also study laser scanning – a land surveying method that can accurately measure and collect data from buildings and landscapes.
Construction work is about to get underway on the latest phase of Barking Riverside, one of Europe’s largest residential projects. Bellway London Partnerships is to build 107 apartments in Phase H East, part of the major regeneration scheme, which is delivering more than 10,000 new homes on the former Barking Power Station site. The building of these apartments will run alongside Bellway’s current development of 371 homes at Fielders Quarter, which is also part of the wider landmark scheme being led by Barking Riverside and L&Q. “With the demand for new homes in London at an all-time high, Barking Riverside will make a hugely significant contribution towards meeting the capital’s housing needs. Bellway London Partnerships is already playing a key role in this ambitious residential project, and this latest phase of development cements our position as one of the leading developers at Barking Riverside,” said Bill Kenneally, Regional Director of Bellway London Partnerships. “Our ethos is to deliver high-quality and attainable homes for Londoners, something which is reflected by the fact that more than half of the apartments we are building at Phase H East will be provided as affordable housing for local people.” This newest development will comprise four linked buildings, all five storeys high, with a central landscaped green space for residents to enjoy. It will contain 53 apartments for private sale and 54 affordable homes. “Residents at Barking Riverside will benefit from excellent transport links to the rest of the capital, particularly when the new Barking Riverside Overground station opens next year, opening up direct train journeys to Central London in 20 minutes,” Bill added. “However, our new development will also accommodate those who need to drive for work or leisure. An underground car park will contain spaces for 48 cars, while off-street parking will be provided for a further 25 vehicles. The development will also include parking for motorcycles and bicycles.” The first homes at the new development are expected to be completed and ready for occupation by the end of next year.A selection of one and two-bedroom apartments are currently available at the highly in-demand Fielders Quarter, with prices starting from £258,655.
Cornwall Council has entered into a landmark deal to buy SoloHaus ‘micro homes’ to help tackle the housing crisis and homelessness with modular housing. A total of 29 self-contained modular one-bedroom homes have arrived in Cornwall and are set to be deployed to sites in the coming months. The Council has bought the modular homes from The Hill Group, based in Waltham Abbey, Essex. SoloHaus, the brainchild of Hill Group founder, Andy Hill, have been designed to provide exceptional modular, self-contained accommodation in a supported environment to tackle homelessness. Cornwall Council joins Cambridge City Council, Ipswich Borough Council, the London Borough of Haringey and several housing associations in the east of England in using SoloHaus to support those that need it. “This marks a real tipping point in this Council’s approach to solving the housing crisis. The opportunity to buy these units was only identified at the end of August and officers have worked extremely hard over a very short period to turn this around,” said Olly Monk, Portfolio Holder for Housing and Planning at Cornwall Council. “These homes are ready to be dropped onto sites and provide top-quality accommodation, with all fixtures and fittings included. They are an evolution of the cabin-style emergency accommodation that we have provided in Truro and Camborne and, over time, will remove the need for those type of pods, which we have leased. “Buying and deploying permanent quality modular homes such as these will allow us to put homes in key locations throughout the Duchy. This is about us recognising that there are people in our communities that really need our help, and us providing them with an exceptional quality housing solution that can be deployed quickly. This is another example of what we’re doing to prevent using insecure B&B-style accommodation for vulnerable people. It’s about treating those people that need our help with dignity and respect. “Alongside everything else we’re doing – such as buying and refurbishing disused properties, purchasing homes at new developments and building innovative new ‘move-on’ sites – they will play a vital role in making sure that nobody need sleep rough in Cornwall or have to be housed in unreliable B&B or hotel accommodation. I very much hope that this is the first batch of many SoloHaus units for us in Cornwall.” The homes are built in a factory in Shrewsbury and feature the highest standards of sustainability, efficiency, safety and durability. They can be easily transported on a lorry and the Council will be working with Cormac to deploy the new homes to sites throughout the Duchy. SoloHaus homes are well-placed to help solve the housing crisis in Cornwall as they are designed to be robust enough to be deployed on a permanent basis, while retaining the flexibility to be picked up and moved from site-to-site for short-term use if necessary. With a 60-year minimum lifespan and construction warranty, the modular homes have been designed with the help of leading homelessness charities to provide a safe, secure, comfortable and independent place to stay for people who are homeless or have been homeless in the recent past. SoloHaus units are provided fully furnished with a kitchen, living and dining area, bedroom and bathroom. They are built to an attractive, Building Control-approved design and can be used in either a single storey or two-storey arrangement, with minimal groundworks, needing only electric, water and waste connections. They have integrated cabling for broadband and TV and a single air source heat pump provides warmth for six homes.
