Some of the best housing this century

Two winners of the Building for Life awards, announced today (Wednesday 2 December) have earned the highest scores ever given to new housing developments since the initiative began in 2002.

Seven outstanding schemes have been selected for an award, out of a record 36 schemes that achieved a Building for Life standard this year. The record scores went to Icon – Lime Tree Square, in Somerset and Cross Street South in Wolverhampton. They set a benchmark for the standard of housing CABE and the HBF want to see emerge from the recession.

The other award winning schemes include waterside flats in Islington, family homes in St Ives, and town centre flats in Portsmouth and Brent.

The two top schemes performed particularly well on sustainability and street design.  At Icon – Lime Tree Square, the homezone concept underpins the design philosophy and means pedestrians take priority over cars. The ecopark and community allotments at Cross Street South provide a focus for resident activity and the rear courtyard prevents on-street parking.

John Healey MP, Minister for Housing and Planning, said: ‘Good design and planning of new homes and communities can make them great places to live and work.

‘Wherever there is new development – whether it’s one home, a new street or a whole town – our aim is not only to meet housing need, but to make homes and neighbourhoods greener, safer and more attractive environments for people to live in.  Building for Life helps to achieve this by setting very clear quality standards for schemes to meet, and I congratulate all the winners who have so clearly stepped up to the challenge.’

Wayne Hemingway, chair of Building for Life, said: ‘The residents of these winning schemes must feel as if they’ve won the lottery. These schemes are shining examples of how you deliver great places to live, regardless of the economy, but the problem remains that they represent only a fraction of the housing built today. We urgently need to deliver this quality of housing as standard.’

Building for Life Award winners 2009

Admiralty Quarter, Portsmouth

• Architect: David Richmond & Partners Ltd
• Developer: Crest Nicholson Regeneration
• Local authority: Portsmouth City Council

Angel Waterside, Islington

• Architect: Pollard Thomas Edwards Architects
• Developer: City Wharf Development Co.
• Local authority: London Borough of Islington

Cross St South, Wolverhampton

• Architect: Cole Thompson Anders
• Client: Bromford Housing Group
• Contractor: E Manton Ltd
• Local authority: Wolverhampton City Council

Granville New Homes, Brent

• Architect: Levitt Bernstein Associates
• Contractor: Higgins Construction PLC
• Local authority: London Borough of Brent

Icon – Lime Tree Square, Somerset

• Architect: Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios
• Client: Knightstone Housing Association
• Developer: Crest Nicholson PLC
• Local authority: Mendip District Council

Norfolk Park Green Homes, Sheffield

• Architect: Matthew Lloyd Architects
• Client: The Environment Trust / Places for People
• Contractor: Wildgoose Construction Ltd
• Local authority: Sheffield City Council

Trinity Watch, St Ives

• Architect: Tyack Associates
• Developer: Rosemullion Homes
• Local authority: Cornwall Council

Notes to editors

• For further information, please contact Dominy Bird at CABE on 020 7070 6772 or email dbird@cabe.org.uk or Steve Turner at the HBF on 020 7960 1606 or email steve.turner@hbf.co.uk
• The Building for Life standard is awarded to housebuilders and housing associations who demonstrate a commitment to high design standards, good place making and sustainable development. Building for Life is an initiative led by CABE and the Home Builders Federation.
• Housing schemes achieve the Building for Life standard if they fulfil at least 14 of the 20 criteria for a silver standard and 16 out of 20 for a gold standard. A total of 12 gold and 24 silver standards were achieved this year. For more details about the judges please visit www.buildingforlife.org/awards/judges
• The 20 criteria can be found at www.buildingforlife.org/criteria
• For more details about the 2009 schemes that achieved a Building for Life standard please visit www.buildingforlife.org/standards
• Six of the 2009 Building for Life award winners are based in a local authority that has a Building for Life accredited assessor.
• The Home Builders Federation (HBF) is the principal representative body for private sector home builders and voice of the home building industry in England and Wales. The HBF’s 300 member firms account for some 80% of all new homes built in England and Wales in any one year, and include companies of all sizes, ranging from multi-national, household names through regionally based businesses to small local companies. www.hbf.co.uk
• CABE is the government’s advisor on architecture, urban design and public space. As a public body, we encourage policymakers to create places that work for people. We help local planners apply national design policy and offer expert advice to developers and architects. We show public sector clients how to commission buildings that meet the needs of their users. And we seek to inspire the public to demand more from their buildings and spaces. Advising, influencing and inspiring, we work to create well-designed, welcoming places.