Nov 6 2008
Landscape architects are being given the opportunity to showcase their skills on the unique canvas of the BRE Innovation Park, a demonstration ‘village' of innovative homes and community buildings viewed by thousands of visitors from the construction and associated industries every year.
The British Homes Awards, in partnership with BRE and The Landscape Institute, are inviting submissions to a competition to design the landscape of the BRE Innovation Park Phase 2 expansion. This new area of the Park will be occupied by additional, innovative and sustainable buildings, including homes sponsored by the Prince's Foundation for the Built Environment and the National Non-Food Crops Centre.
The competition aims to highlight the importance of landscape in creating sustainable communities. ‘In the past landscape was sometimes seen as a cosmetic part of a development,' says BRE's Director of Enterprise & Innovation, Jaya Skandamoorthy. ‘But in recent years its contribution to building sustainable developments is now increasingly recognised, indeed it is impossible to reach Code Level 5 or 6 of the Government's Code for Sustainable Homes without considering the landscape design.'
The winning scheme must successfully link the original Park area with the new buildings, and complement the existing landscape to create a sense of community, home and healthy lifestyle. It needs to demonstrate how landscape can contribute to sustainability and climate change mitigation, as well as to the wellbeing and security of the buildings' occupants. The short-listed schemes will be assessed on key design principles as well as buildability, construction timescale, adaptability, maintenance and longevity.
This competition is open to members of The Landscape Institute and Landscape Institute Registered Practices. Expressions of interest must reach the Landscape Institute by 12 November 2008, with designs submitted by 1 December 2008. Five short-listed practices will receive £1000 each to produce more detailed scheme designs. The winning scheme will be announced on 3 March 2009 at EcoBuild 2009, where all the short-listed schemes will be on show.
The winning design will be officially launched along with the new buildings at the BRE event, INSITE09, a major exhibition of construction innovation and sustainability being held on 1-4 June 2009 at the Innovation Park.
The full design brief is available online from http://www.bre.co.uk/innovationpark.