Yorkon News Archives

03/07/2003 – Pioneering factory-built housing scheme wins 2 major awards

The ground-breaking Sixth Avenue Apartments in York – the first factory-built multi-storey affordable housing scheme outside London – has been awarded Best Housing Association Development in the National HomeBuilder Design Awards 2003.

These awards highlight the UK's best new homes with a view to encouraging more imaginative design and development. Established 23 years ago, they are the longest running awards for housebuilders.

Developed by the Yorkshire Housing Group in partnership with City of York Council, the Sixth Avenue Apartments were manufactured in York by Portakabin subsidiary, Yorkon, and designed by Cartwright Pickard Architects. The homes are managed by Ryedale Housing Association, a member of the Yorkshire Housing Group.

The scheme has also been presented with a Civic Trust Award Commendation 2003. These awards recognise excellence in contemporary architecture and are part of the Civic Trust's campaign for better buildings and places. The winning schemes, which were selected by the judges from 525 entries, will be used to demonstrate what can be achieved through good design.

The apartments for Sixth Avenue were craned onto pre-prepared foundations on a brownfield site in just a few days, complete with bathrooms, kitchens, plumbing, heating, doors and windows. By employing a more innovative approach to construction and a partnering arrangement, the development programme for the project was halved. From inception to completion, the total programme took less than 15 months, helping to address the serious shortfall in the number of affordable homes in York.

The four-storey £2m development comprises 24 high quality apartments providing a mix of 3, 2 and 1 bedroom homes. The apartments have a mixed community of families, single people, couples and the elderly. The exterior is finished in western red cedar and terracotta cladding, and each apartment has the benefit of a generous timber-decked balcony or private garden area. There is also a secure landscaped courtyard with cycle storage facility and car parking.

Peter Atkinson, Group Property Director of Yorkshire Housing, said, "We are committed to delivering quality homes and housing services to our customers. Our Sixth Avenue development demonstrates that we are not afraid to innovate in order to achieve this objective. It also shows how a shared vision and good teamwork have given us an industry-recognised success story."

"This pioneering scheme illustrates the benefits of building off-site, a genuine partnership approach and contemporary architectural design", said Keith Blanshard, Director and General Manager of Yorkon. "These two new awards are further evidence of the team's success, the vision of the client and the role of off-site construction in the delivery of quality, affordable housing which was designed built in half the time of a traditionally built building."

James Pickard, Project Director of Cartwright Pickard Architects, said, "Our aim with this project was to create a community of attractive, spacious homes, which give residents the benefit of low running costs. Sixth Avenue has demonstrated the value of a more innovative approach to building and how modular construction can enable clients to develop exciting, award-winning architecture, with the benefit of improved speed, quality and efficiency."

Editors' Notes

The Sixth Avenue Apartments project uses the highly successful Yorkon/Cartwright Pickard team who were responsible for the acclaimed Murray Grove housing scheme in London.

In 2002, Sixth Avenue won a Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors' regional award for Design and Innovation.

48 11-tonne steel-framed modules were manufactured by Yorkon for the Sixth Avenue scheme. These were craned into position in just a few days in preparation for installation of the red cedar cladding, the timber-decked balconies and the lift and stair tower.

Modular construction involves the manufacture and fitting out of a building in a controlled factory environment, while the foundations are progressed on site. The modules are delivered to site by road where they are craned into position. The benefits include: