The Masterplan Concept – Placemaking

The far-reaching ONE Housing Scheme brief calls for an idealised masterplan for a proposed series of developments of mixed tenure bungalows loaded with assistive tech across a number of rural edge-of-town and village sites in Shropshire using Garden City and eco town principles to help the client address a number of priority areas through the simple building of a few bungalows. There is nothing intrinsically wrong with development: all the beautiful places you know and love are full of buildings, roads and traffic, often very densely packed but still convivial places to live, work and play. Think then of the plethora of culs-de-sac on the outskirts of our towns and villages - each effectively a load of brick boxes around the car park - and the quality of environment they create. With The ONE Housing Scheme Masterplan we turn this on its head: the enjoyment of pedestrians and residents takes priority with all buildings clustered quietly around communal green spaces and looking out onto further green spaces that also double as food production and leisure spaces. It is all about
placemaking.

To assist with realistic space planning we have developed an indicative L-shaped fully accessible plan to the dwellings: a 1-bed bungalow providing a private courtyard, and a 2-bed bungalow with a modest private garden space. We use the L shaped plans in staggered terraces to form clusters of dwellings with a central space. We love the idea that each little block could be unified into one single form – like a little ‘citadel’ set into a green landscape with a landscaped walled communal garden at its core – giving all residents a beautiful outlook and amenity space.

The garden courts are linked by landscaped, tree-lined, traffic-free paths with food growing opportunities (allotments and orchards) and use pedestrian-priority shared surfaces to allow access for both private cars and service vehicles. With the first built example of this masterplan the team will show that housing - designed and built with thought and care - can not only address many of the needs of society, but create beautiful places to live and be a welcome addition to our towns and villages.