The brief was to unlock the under-used land to the rear of Beech Avenue, creating a new pocket development which enhances the landscaping to improve biodiversity and off-street parking space for the residents. The intent is that the design should; bring positive development to the area, respect surrounding properties and tie into the character of the existing street-scape.

One of the key considerations for the scheme was the requirement for flood resilient design which has a negligible impact on the flood zone due to the site’s proximity to Holgate Beck. In order to meet these requirements, the plan makes use of a water penetrable ancillary ground floor that allows habitable spaces to be raised to a datum that is beyond the floodplain. Hit and miss brickwork was then implemented at ground level to allow flood water to pass through the building without significantly displacing the water volume.

On top of these constraints from the floodplain, ensuring the proposal was adequately offset from an existing sewer which currently occupies the site while also minimally impacting the existing, onlooking property became crucial factors in the design of the scheme. Implementing a ‘green buffer’ between the existing and proposed schemes as well as toward the rear/side of the proposal allows for a maintenance of visual privacy alongside acoustic mitigation from neighbouring properties.

The ridge height of the scheme was also carefully considered so as to not exceed the height of the existing buildings that line Beech Avenue so the scheme does not disrupt or dominate the streetscape.  

As a primary factor for the design of the terraces was sensitivity to the surrounding context the massing of the proposal is designed to be read as a two-storey property with a half storey in the roof- which ties in with height of neighbouring properties.

Repetition and rhythm through placement of dormers, and deep-set brick reveal windows allows for an introduction of push and pull to break up the solidity of the façade and soften the visual impact from street level.

The use of brick as the primary material for the scheme allows the proposal to complement the surrounding context and harmonises with the flood resilient technique of using hit and miss blockwork. Timber has been used to clad the recessed ground floor level which draws influence from the timber gable detailing in the surrounding context. This creates a warmer, welcoming approach to the property entrances. Soldier coursing forms horizontal banding which picks up on datums from historic surrounding precedents.