Ffynnon Efwr project
Gŵyr CLT is working towards building 14 genuinely affordable zero carbon homes on a 6 acre site, with a common house containing shared facilities, and outdoor space for play, food production and wildlife.
THE SITE
The site is a roughly 6-acre parcel of land situated within the village of Bishopston, Swansea, with good pedestrian access to shops, primary and secondary schools and pubs, as well as good pubic transport links with Swansea.
The majority of the application site comprises semi-improved neutral grassland which is un-grazed and cut around once a year. The site is bordered to the north by the predominantly pedestrian Providence Lane, and to the west by the cul-de-sac South Close, with fields bordering the Southern and Eastern boundaries.
The proposed view of the site from South Close (Pentan Arcitechts)
AFFORDABILITY
All houses will be permanently protected at genuinely affordable levels of Shared Ownership, and prioritised for local people in housing need. This means that individuals will own the leasehold of between 15-65% of their house, whilst Gwyr CLT retains the freehold and a minimum of 35% of the equity. If you want to know more about our Financial Model, our Affordability Policy is in the Policies section of the website.
DESIGN BRIEF
A cohousing design ethos has been used, which prioritises pedestrian access over cars and reflects aspects of a traditional village, promoting social interaction and neighbourliness, through the way the houses are designed and laid out.
Houses are designed to have smaller private gardens and instead larger shared outdoor areas, and restricted vehicle access allow for much more generous open space provision, which creates a character more in keeping with the rural feel of the greenfield land to the east and south of the site, as well as huge benefits for biodiversity.
The proposed balance of house sizes is:
four 2-bedroom, 4-person houses
eight 3-bedroom 4- or 5-person houses
two 1-bedroom bungalows with additional accessibility features.
Following recent recruitment, our membership now fills 12 of the 14 households; the two 1-bedroom bungalows are still available. We also keep a list of interested households. If you are interested in becoming a resident member, please have a look at our Membership page.
Image from Broadhempston CLT, a community self-build project in Devon.
The proposed view of the shared central garden and common house
The proposed view of the pond and meadow, with the 14 no. homes in the background
PROPOSED LANDSCAPE DESIGN
While the building design is crucial, it is equally important to consider the design of the landscape. It has being develop around the core values of sustainability, biodiversity and community with the intent to create an attractive, productive and supportive environment with a rural character – a landscape providing a haven for residents, the community and nature which is in balance with local climate and environment, brings enhanced habitat, species and structural diversity and has strong links to the local community.
An approximate one acre area for food production by residents is proposed within the scheme, including allotments, a walled garden, 4 no. polytunnels and an orchard.
The scheme will provide opportunities for engagement with the wider community to help others grow both skills and produce, and to offer surplus to the passing public, helping to celebrate the historic heritage of market gardening in the Bishopston area.
CONSTRUCTION
From the ground up the project is carefully considering its impact on the environment. Foundations will be low impact screw piles with ground floor construction raised up out of the ground, minimising the use of concrete and the need for excavation on site. External walls will be built using locally sourced timber panel construction with cellulose insulation. Timber cladding will be sourced locally.
The form of construction and choice of finishes and scale of components have been selected for their appropriateness to the self-builder skill levels and to aid speed of construction, avoiding wet trades and carbon intensive solutions. Homes will be mapped against the AECB standard - a method which prioritises a fabric first approach, high quality construction and detailing.
PROPOSED ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN
Final proposal is for a total of 14 buildings: a barn to the east (top of image), a common house (at the bottom) and 14 homes designed as 4 groups of short terraces. Buildings are arranged and orientated around a central car-free shared garden, with small private south facing gardens.
The common house marks the entry to the site and the western side of the courtyard, beyond which things are a little more private. The two rows of dwellings vary in form and massing and include two storey housing and single storey bungalows. Low eaves, deep porches to the north sitting under large roof forms with dormer windows provide depth and shadow to the elevations. Timber framed pergolas to the south provide summertime shading and a place under which to sit. Thick, mixed hedges provide both a degree of privacy and potential for engagement between neighbours. At the end of the common garden the barn for storing produce, tools and machinery and the support space forms the fourth side of the courtyard.
BUILD METHODS
The construction of the buildings will be a modular panel design using Welsh timber finished externally with timber cladding and lime render, with steel sheet roofing. Insulation will be natural cellulose fibre.
Gŵyr CLT will use a community self-build approach in order to reduce the build cost and to enable residents without savings for a deposit to acquire equity by contributing to the build process.
Up to 50% of the work will be undertaken by the residents, with the other half being subcontracted out to local companies as far as possible. The buildings have been designed to allow semi-skilled workers to take on a large proportion of the work.
