29 - 03 - 2023
BPTW is excited to be the Lead Design Partner for the 2023 Building Garden Communities Conference at the RIBA this April. The event brings together councils, housebuilders, planners, stakeholders and experts to discuss garden communities and their potential to improve design quality and community wellbeing while addressing the UK’s housing shortage.
Spearheading BPTW’s work in designing new settlements and garden communities across South and Central England, Architectural Partner Chris Bath will attend the conference to speak on Designing for the Future. His presentation will provide insights into the importance of the ‘housing mix’ when designing garden communities to ensure that new homes can accommodate a diverse community long-term. In addition, he will address relevant themes like sustainability, design quality, and prioritising future generations.
About the importance of the conference, BPTW Partner Chris Bath said,
“Garden communities and new settlements are increasingly important for the UK because of their capacity to maximise underutilised land and tackle the housing shortage with exemplary homes and neighbourhoods centred on wellbeing, inclusivity and sustainability. These new settlements bring challenges and opportunities for designers and communities alike, stemming from the need to create urban environments where there were none before. As a result, placemaking, design coding and community co-design are vital tools in garden community design that also promote better quality housing in UK towns and cities.
Garden communities and new settlements are a growing part of BPTW’s architectural and urban design portfolio. Over the last decade, our appointments for new urban extensions and greenbelt masterplans have flourished. New developments like Alkerden Gateway in Ebbsfleet Garden City deliver distinctive, bespoke neighbourhoods using innovative, custom-built designs. Our 532-home Harbour Village masterplan is regenerating 12 hectares of former industrial land to create a new Thames-side destination in Kent. Recently completed, our masterplan for one phase of the ambitious Newhall development in Essex provides a new extension to the historic Harlow old town, characterised by a diverse townscape. The Building Garden Communities Conference provides a vital forum for us to discuss the value of this typology and determine how the architectural and construction industries can harness its potential. We are excited for the opportunity to think creatively and collaboratively about this topic and aspire together to create garden city communities orientated towards a sustainable future.”
The conference will be held on the 26th of April and tickets are available on the Building Garden Communities website.
BPTW’s design for Newhall in Harlow.
