Location: Bordon, Hampshire
Client: Radian Group
Other Constraints: SPA
RIBA Plan of Work stages: 0-7
Herald Court was built on the site of three existing buildings bordered by commercial buildings within a largely residential area, comprising post-war domestic style two- and three-storey buildings. The project is named after one of the buildings on site, the former office building for The Herald newspaper group, which was left vacant and was in a substantial state of decay before the development.
Following discussions with local planning agents, PWP Architects secured planning permission for the construction of 9 one- and two-bed flats, with priority letting given to local people, with a higher density than that existing on site.
The scheme has taken a modern approach to the design, separating the form into two main blocks with individual styles and materiality to break up the visual mass of the overall building. The south wing of the block is a sympathetic insertion using red brick and a pitched roof, albeit clad in standing seam zinc, to accentuate the building’s form in a contemporary way whilst responding to the existing typology of surrounding buildings. The west wing of the block and the refuse store are clad in vertical timber cladding, with barrel-vaulted green roofs to benefit the environment and contrast with the traditional style of the south wing. These wings are connected via a standing seam box. The building sits around a central courtyard, containing the necessary parking for the development broken up by green spaces and additional planting.
