Previously reeling from the demise of the local post office and the loss of the bus route into town, villagers are innovating, expanding and looking for improved services.
Continue reading “A quiet revolution is taking place up and down the country”
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Marsh Gibbon: Barn typology
The elevations to Marsh Gibbon show a single storey barn typology which reflects and edge of centre vernacular in this rural village. The farmhouse design of the houses can either be single family homes or ‘quarter homes’ containing 4 x one bed apartments, designed as starter homes.
Marsh Gibbon: Project
Our project in Marsh Gibbon near Bicester within Aylesbury Vale, features:
- an Almshouse type terrace for downsizers and starter homes
- two blocks of quarter homes that appear like farmhouses, configured internally as 4 x one and two bedroom apartments
- a planned pocket orchard
- space to grow food with gardens of manageable size for those downsizing
- further open green space within the development for homeowners to enjoy, without the need to maintain themselves
- enhanced biodiversity of the land’s current status through the planting and protecting of an orchard, other native species of trees and hedgerows
What defines a cottage?
Can the cottage typology become a way of adding on to villages in a way that isn’t the developer method of taking a field, putting roads on it and cramming houses on?
Identifying the problem – the evidence is clear
The rural population has increased by 800,000 over the past ten years. Government forecasts predict that that the rural population will grow by 16% by 2028 compared to 9% in urban areas.
Continue reading “Identifying the problem – the evidence is clear”