The Architects’ Journal Architecture News & Buildings
Commissioned by the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC), the winner stood out from a strong field of entries for its rigorous and innovative approach to developing an evidence base for design quality in the public realm.
As part of a multidisciplinary team led by Buro Happold, Hawkins\Brown engaged with a wide range of stakeholders through focus groups and walkabouts to develop a comprehensive residents’ survey of 259 homes completed as part of Chobham Manor Phase 1.
Broadening the remit of typical post-occupancy evaluation, the 115-page study explored residents’ views about their new neighbourhood, their block and their home in granular detail. It looked at issues of community and placemaking as well as satisfaction with the homes themselves. In parallel, data on energy and water use was collected by SOAP Retrofit.
The study sought to understand the development’s wider social impact and identify actionable outcomes to feed into the design of 5,000 homes in the LLDC’s pipeline. Key findings include an endorsement of the green spine linking the neighbourhood to the Olympic Park and the need to better address overheating during London’s increasingly hot summers.
The study explored the theme of neighbourhood cohesion by asking residents how long they expected to stay in their homes. While the average turnover of residents in the surrounding borough of Newham is four years, the LLDC envisions Chobham Manor as a family neighbourhood where people will want to stay.
The report is available on the LLDC website, and findings have been disseminated through a series of industry events, with the ambition that this approach could be more widely adopted and incorporated in the GLA’s ‘Be Seen’ guidance.
The judges also made special mention of AHMM’s open-source Delivering Net Zero in Use guide (developed in partnership with UCL) as useful industry guidance for large commercial mixed-use projects presented in an accessible way.
Shortlisted
- AECOM for the Energy House research facility
- Allford Hall Monaghan Morris for Delivering Net Zero in Use: a guide for architects
- Architype for EnerPHit informed retrofit plans
- Atkins for sustainability ambassadors and sustainable design tool
- Stephen George + Partners for Better Buildings education resource website
Judges
- Duncan Baker-Brown, founder, BakerBrown Studio
- Ben Hopkins, associate, Bennetts Associates
- Younha Rhee, associate director, Atelier Ten
- Diba Salam, founding principal and creative director, StudioDS
AJ100 Sustainability Initiative of the Year is sponsored by
