Niall McLaughlin Architects is among those 30 practices shortlisted for the Wood Awards 2012 for the student accommodation for Oxford University’s Somerville College. The judges described this years shortlist as ‘exceptional’, stating that they had received an unprecedented 362 category entries for the awards.
The practice has received planning consent from Winchester City Council for the construction of a new private house in a sensitive area in the Hampshire countryside.
The site sits next to the river Arle, an area designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) by English Nature and a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) under the EC Habitats Directive. Permission was granted following extensive consultations and a positive response from the Winchester and Eastleigh Design Review Panel, as well as the support of Natural England and the Wildlife Trust.
The house will have high sustainability credentials including high levels of thermal insulation and airtightness, passive solar heating, ground source heating technology, PV panels and substantial enhancement of the ecology of the site through extensive landscaping works.