The best eco-friendly architecture: good design rewarded at the Evening Standard New Homes Awards 2020

By Hill

Athena is part of an eco-friendly new district masterminded by University of Cambridge on the leafy outskirts of the city.

The first phase of 240 homes being built by Hill brims with architectural panache and green innovation.

Taking a design cue from Cambridge’s handsome Victorian and Edwardian housing, the new homes are arranged in grids of tree-lined streets and avenues, and range from one-bedroom apartments to contemporary-looking five-bedroom townhouses, making it a complete community.

Smart and contemporary apartment blocks are clad in warm, buff brick and have corner windows and fan-shaped dormers. Houses have family rooms opening on to a courtyard, linked to upper floors by an external staircase.

Such is the crafted detail that house numbers are inscribed into the façade. “It’s all about creating a context in which people can live a low-impact life in relation to the environment and energy use,” says Alison Brooks of Alison Brooks Architects.

The development fits neatly into the local environment, enhancing quality of life. It boasts the UK’s largest rainwater harvesting system, filtering water through reed beds and then pumping it back into homes for use in washing machines and toilets.

A subterranean refuse system negates the need for carbon-consuming wheelie bin collections, and a heat ventilation system introduces clean air to reduce allergies.

Apartments start at £324,950, and houses from £899,950.

Call 01223 607200.

By Leathwaite

Tucked away in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the Surrey Hills, the low-rise collection of five homes is almost invisible in the landscape due to extensive re-shaping of the land to create natural banks topped with new trees and shrubs.

Four terraced barn-style homes and a head-turning modern mansion combine “refined” rustic architecture and the clean, crisp lines of Bauhaus design.

The four timber-clad homes have varying elevations and roof heights that give the overall scheme a natural unity and a sense of agricultural longevity. Internally, they have a sparse, white-painted open-plan living space with exposed structural oak beams (reclaimed) and sliding glass walls.

All are built to Germany’s “Passivhaus” construction standard, the most environmentally advanced in Europe. Each has its own waste-water treatment plant and is connected to a rainwater living harvesting system. Running costs are less than £50 a month, while a system controls lighting, heating and ventilation.

Sleek and sophisticated Hunters Hill is a total architectural contrast yet also slots effortlessly into the setting. The 4,900 sq ft home has a central atrium and a spectacular sweeping external staircase linking with a top-floor terrace overlooking an outside swimming pool warmed by solar panels and excess energy generated from the house.

External cladding materials include factory-made composite panels made from basalt and recycled industrial waste plus robust resin-infused paper panels in autumnal hues used in the aerospace and marine sectors. Prices from £625,000 to £3.7 million.

Call 01483 300 300.

By Joseph Homes

Balham has become self-possessed enough to stop claiming to be “South Clapham”.

The area connects with three commons and is packed with young singles, who gravitate to the bars, gastro pubs and delis along the lively high road.

Couples can still find an affordable house when they hear the patter of tiny feet, while bonus-wielding bankers using the Northern line into the City settle in the smart enclave of substantial villas around Endlesham Road.

The Tube came to Balham in 1926, but trams endured into the 1950s, and the depot on Balham High Road was one of the last in London to close.

On the very site is The Tramyard, a new scheme of 70 eco-friendly apartments that raises the bar for new builds in the area.

Joseph Homes, the developer, focuses on “Live Well” design principles.

Private outside space and landscaped communal areas are a priority, while all homes come with an internal air filtration system to combat pollutants and alleviate allergies. Even vegan paints are used.

Gas-free homes also have extra high ceilings (2.7m) and super-fast Hyperoptic fibre broadband, plus there are solar roof panels and electric car charging points.

Six large duplex homes with balcony and patio are for sale. Prices from £799,950.

Call 020 3553 6875.