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British Home Awards Winner

Thank you to everyone who voted for fellow Alumnus Alex King in the British Home Awards. The final took place last month and we are very pleased to announce that architects Alex King of Designalexable and Edward King (retired) won the Future Homes category of the British Homes Awards 2011 for their design of the Santiago Townhouse. It is planned that the Santiago Townhouse will now be built as a show house exhibit at the Ideal Home Exhibition, London in 2012.

Playing cards

Modern architecture started with social concerns involving the improvement of living conditions for the majority of people and this was the starting point for the Santiago design. Alex's father had experienced Alex’s sister returning from studies to live at the family home and in austre times this was seen as a common problem. The solution was to make adaptable spaces that could be subdivided without the need for expensive alterations. This essentially creates an independent ground floor flat within the family home. This is not only useful for returning family members but also allows for independent accommodation for aged parents. In difficult times if you wanted to downsize, you could rent the rest of the property to provide an additional income.

Conceived as a community focused design and inspired by a Georgian square layout, the building is designed to be constructed using the Future Form modular construction method not only ensuring energy efficiency but also limiting site time, reducing the cost of construction and so the cost of the home. Linked to the flexible yet functional living spaces, this could help first-time buyers.
With its large solar roof as a signal of intent the design stressed the need for future buildings to be as energy-efficient as possible in terms of both the wider environment and in reducing householders' dependency on unsustainable fuels. The Santiago Townhouse is designed to reach at least Level 4 of the Code for Sustainable Homes.

We look forward to seeing the show house exhibit next year.

Why not take a look at a video of the design.