Pollard Thomas Edwards and Alison Brooks Architects interweave a range of flexible housing types on a striking, low-carbon estate, earning a RIBA East Award
2025 RIBA East Award
Housing
Pollard Thomas Edwards and Alison Brooks Architects for Hill
Contract value: Confidential
GIA: 40,306m2
This large and visually striking brick-built neighbourhood in the suburban hotspot of Eddington, sets a very high standard for ‘net zero carbon’ housing design.
Developed by the University of Cambridge in partnership with the contractor client, the estate’s 249 units are designed by two different architectural practices, not in the form of separate zones on the 3.7 hectare site, but instead with the different dwelling types interwoven closely with each other.
Negotiating the constraints imposed by a masterplan that had already been fixed in advance, the two sets of architects have managed to create an eco-friendly public realm with a housing density which is deliberately higher than found in most suburban schemes. The result is a notably hybridised feel that sits between urban and suburban sensibilities.
This is reminiscent of how London grew from the Georgian era through distinct housing developments which were initially in distant suburban locations, before meshing into an integrated, connected and vital whole.
The ingenious spatial notching of many dwellings at Knights Park permits an admirable variety of roof shapes. It also reintroduces the long-forbidden principle of flying freehold, whereby the upper floor of one of the apartment types sits above the garage space for a house belonging to the terrace beyond. Internal ceiling heights are higher than is typical in most UK dwellings.
The undefined programmatic use for many of the rooms – meaning occupants can opt to use a given space as a bedroom, living room or office – results in a greater degree of flexibility and adaptability for the future. Furthermore, opportunities are provided in many homes for public-orientated ground-floor window displays, which offer a nice touch to the public realm.
These are among the features that reflect the architects’ aim of providing a modern-day version of the countless Victorian terraced dwellings that have been so successfully converted for today’s residential needs. It will be fascinating to see what changes the residents of Knights Park will make in the years to come.
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RIBA UK Awards 2025 sponsored by Autodesk, EH Smith, Equitone and VELUX
Credits
Contractor Hill
Structural engineer Price & Myers
Services engineer DW Pointer and Partners