This residential development of five 3 bedroom units in Kent was on a particularly sensitive site in terms of flood risk. The concept behind the scheme was rather than battling against the challenges posed by flood risk on the site, to embrace them and use them as key design drivers. 

 

To minimise the buildings' footprint, the ground floor levels were raised thereby reducing the volume of water displaced on the site during a flood. This strategy worked in combination with storage crates below the parking areas and swales along the perimeter of the scheme. These measures increased both the volume of water storage on site and permeability of the ground plane, helping to reduce and attenuate the flow of water from the site. Green roofs provided a lag and buffering effect for the movement of rainwater which worked in conjunction with the crates, SUDs, and building design to provide a holistic and integrated flood risk strategy.

 

The charred weatherboard cladding aesthetic echoes the vernacular styles of the rustic kentish barns and farms in the surrounding villages.

 

This project was run in collaboration with TYPE Studio Limited.