The engineering design brief included repair to the river retaining wall raising the site flood defences in consultation with the Environment Agency. Works included a clay core floor defence bank, gabion reinforcements to the river wall, land drainage consents to discharges to associated water courses. A sustainable urban drainage system was designed, incorporating a swale as a hydraulic brake, and provision for a reed bed for surface water cleaning and storage/biodiversity. The structures to the north were raised to achieve minimum flood defence levels.
Foundations were pre-augered driven piles through 12m of peat into mudstone below. This combination of techniques provided both a sustainable and economic solution, and did not disturb the Grade II listed structures adjoining the site.
The houses incorporate thermal mass in walls and ground floors, with a ventilated sunspace to acquire and manage solar gain. The structure is wrapped in an insulated external timber frame skin. Floor and roof structures are fabricated timber I joists spanning to party walls. Provision was made to incorporate solar thermal. Town houses to the north used a super insulated timber frame was sat on a masonry ground floor restricted to garage and utility use to enable the building to be lowered below the nominal flood defence level. Bricks were reclaimed.
*Project carried out while trading as Ellis and Moore
