Wonder home wins South Norfolk design awards

A wonder home of the future in Cringleford, featuring a 1000 metre heat recovery system buried in the garden, has won one of Norfolk’s top design awards.

The visually breathtaking Cedar House in Cringleford was designed by Crispin Lambert Architecture of Loddon and constructed by Willow Builders of Ditchingham.

And today (Friday) at South Norfolk Council’s headquarters in Long Stratton, builders, architects, and other guests joined the owners of Cedar House for the formal presentation of the distinctive Design Awards in carved York stone by Council Chairman, Councillor Joe Mooney

What wowed the judges about Cedar House, in this the seventh South Norfolk Council Annual Design Awards competition, was the environmental features.

They include everything from the heat recovery system under the garden to shredded newspaper insulation throughout.

Councillor Martin Wynne, South Norfolk Design Champion, said:

“I have been involved as an assessor for these awards for many years. As Chairman of the Planning Committee and South Norfolk’s Design Champion, I am always excited by the nominations and what can be achieved with thought and care by architects and developers.

“Excellent schemes are achieved when there are clear and positive objectives, often by the owners. It is essential that designs, which are often radical, incorporate quality in conjunction with the need for sustainable and environmental features.

“These awards are of significant value and prestige to the winners. I would encourage all members of our communities as well as owners, architects and developers to submit schemes for future award consideration.

“My thanks to all the entrants for this year, and congratulations to the winners.”

Chairman, Councillor Joe Mooney, said:

“I am absolutely delighted that South Norfolk Council continues to sponsor these design awards. I hope the awards will encourage everyone involved in the building industry to grasp the importance, value and desirability of good design. “The awards scheme also helps to send out a clear message to architects and developers that good design is a central part of South Norfolk Council planning system and that we are prepared to reject poorly designed developments.”

Cedar House, Cringleford -

The brief for Cedar House was to provide a sustainable family home with open plan living accommodation, and so the house has two wings with a linking staircase, bathrooms and laundry room.

But it is the lengths the owners, architects and builders went to in making sustainable living a fundamental part of the design, which proved the winner.

The pipework, buried 1.8m beneath the garden, takes heat from the earth, which is warmed by the sun. It transfers that by heat exchanger to warm the water for the underfloor heating system, which is used throughout the house on both ground and first floors.

This provides an output of around 3 kilowatts heating for every kilowatt of energy input into the system, making this a low energy building.

Saffron Housing Trust -

In the Existing Building Category, the award went to Saffron Housing Trust for their stunning conversion and extension of Saffron Barns, designed by Jacinta Webb, Senior Architect with the Trust.

The design emphasised openness, light, connection, welcome and well-being.

It was previously ad-hoc buildings on different levels. Now all areas open off a central spine and in turn many external doors open to the courtyards at various levels and aspects, turning an inward complex of dark stores into a light and airy range of offices. There is a raised timber walkway canopied with a free form fabric roof.

Again, the council judging panel was particularly impressed at the use of untreated larch for external boarding, masts and walkway structure; natural canvas for the fabric roof; timber frame structure for the building from forests independently certified as being responsibly managed to the highest environmental standards, recycled paper insulation; solvent free paints and stains and a sedum planted green roof.

Costessey Home -

Also in the New Building Category, the council panel members were impressed with the quality of design of a further scheme, a new home at 1A Autumn Drive, Costessey. It was awarded a Certificate of Commendation.

This was designed by Jon Venning, Architect of Long Stratton for Mr Gary Tame and built by D J W Bryant & Son of Newton Flotman.

In the Conservation Category the panel decided that neither of the two schemes nominated had achieved the required standard of excellence and no award was made. No nominations were received in the Landscape Design Category.

The Award Winners in full:

- Design Award Winner: New Building Category - Cedar House, St Lawrence Drive, Cringleford.

- Design Award Winner: Extension to Existing Building Category - Saffron Barns, Long Stratton

- Certificate of Commendation: New Building Category - New dwelling, 1A Autumn Drive, Costessey

Nominations were made by owners, agents and developers, and all were visited by the assessment panel, which included:

Councillor Derek Blake, Cabinet Member for Planning, Housing and the Built Environment.

Councillor Martin Wynne, South Norfolk Design Champion.

Councillor Tim East, nominated by the council’s Planning Committee.

Tony Calcott, Associate with LSI Architects, Norwich, and external assessor on behalf of the Royal Institute of British Architects.

David Edleston, the council’s Conservation & Design Architect.

Steve Beckett, the council’s Senior Conservation Officer.

The panel assessed each scheme against tough criteria with an award only being made where a project exhibited excellence in design.

The Design Awards: Seven Years of Success -

South Norfolk’s annual design awards scheme is in its seventh year.

The aim is to raise the profile of the value of good design and to recognise the contribution that this can make to the quality of the built environment and the landscape setting of the district.

It is one of a number of initiatives introduced by South Norfolk Council to improve the quality of design wherever new development is proposed.

Nominations in 2007 were made in three out of the four categories, and included a variety of developments ranging from the conversion of a barn to residential use, the restoration of a mausoleum and a new community centre, through to individual dwellings, a major residential development and the extension and conversion of a group of barns to office use.

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