SHOWCASE 1:
Orchard Court, Newton Abbot.
Dictated by the site constraints, a linear building form has been adopted, following the alignment of Bradley Lane. An air quality assessment also fundamentally influenced the design of the building. A buffer zone between the residential complex and the road avoids the creation of a ‘canyon effect’ by which pollution would be drawn along Bradley Lane. The street level under-croft which conceals vehicular parking, cycle stores and other ancillary functions is punctured to create a colonnade and again promote air flow across the site.
The ground storey is treated as a ‘podium’, emphasised through rustication achieved by the use of pre-cast stone elements, grounding the building into the site. Above, render panels define the building as a series of bays, punctuated with glazed slots which express the vertical circulation areas within. Lift towers terminate these incisions in the façade at roof level.
This compositional sub-division allows the roof to be formed as a series of gently tilted planes resulting in a dynamic roofscape which enlivens the sky line in silhouette. A continuous, set-back glazed clerestory zone articulates the roof planes such that they appear to float above the enclosing walls below. To create a sense of depth in the façade, recesses sheltering private balconies have been introduced. Elsewhere, crisply detailed protruding balconies enliven the street elevation with the shadows they cast and ensure every unit has its own external space.
