Places for People appointed TDO as plot architects to gain detailed planning consent for 71 new MMC homes spread over 2 of 5 plots on the Dove Lane masterplan. The masterplan brings hundreds of new homes and business space to 1.6 hectares of vacant land in St Pauls, Bristol.

Our brief was to design exemplar timber frame modular housing by way of a 61 apartment scheme on one plot, and 10 modular terrace houses on the other.

The proposals were to be exemplary technical deployment of off-site modular construction, and exemplary pieces of architecture in their own right. We achieved this by expressing the inherent qualities of the modular construction. In the apartment scheme we expressed the supporting steel frame externally and used colour to define an elevational rhythm and the width of each home.

Behind the vertical steel frame strong horizontal emphasis is given between floors, which sets out a primary grid. Behind that are further horizontal and vertical layers. The colour is offset by an off-white, canvas-like cementitious finish to the building, which is diagonally cut to add further detail and depth to the elevation.

The design for the terraced houses learn from our Fab House modular homes delivered for Places for People and Urban Splash.

The elevational treatment flows from the apartments, and colour is used again to define the extent of each home. The detailing further defines each house as an individual building, which is part of a larger whole.

The masterplan will deliver 230 new homes, 893 sq m of retail space, 1,218 sq m of office space and improved landscaping across the vacant site just off the M32 in St Pauls.

The proposals were backed by Bristol City Council’s Development Control Committee and planning consent has been granted on this challenging brownfield site.