Homes Ahead of Their Time

RPS is appointed to deliver the Mechanical and Electrical Building Services engineering and energy services for the grand scale, and award winning Myatts Field housing regeneration project in Lambeth, London.

As part of the £150m Myatts Field North Regeneration scheme, the major development secured Government funding in February this year, and the project - to deliver 980 new and high-quality refurbished homes for the London Borough of Lambeth - has just been awarded the Housing Design Award by RICS.

The Government funding was conditional on the development costs being reduced which could have reduced the amount of much needed housing it proposed, or the quality of the overall scheme. The entire project team ensured that it could be achieved with no long-term community detriment by guaranteeing to complete construction a year ahead of the initial timescale, and re-working construction priorities to best accommodate residents’ needs during this period.

Incorporating a mix of private, affordable, and socially rented homes, the development focuses on open space, accessibility, and community. The layout uses a traditional street pattern, based on an historic design, which opens out the area to surrounding neighbourhoods. Further features include a new road and foul water system, associated public realm infrastructure, allotments, a new community centre and sports facilities, and the refurbishment of the existing retail facilities, alongside a new local store.

The development will replace 305 existing homes, and refurbish 172 leasehold homes, besides delivering 503 new homes for private sale and shared ownership, with ten per cent having full wheelchair access.

As Design Engineer, RPS delivered the Mechanical & Electrical & Public Health building services engineering design for the homes, community centre and retail units, and designed the District Heating network that is central to the development’s energy services - serving all the buildings, and designed to achieve CfSH level 3, and BREEAM Very Good. With positive community co-operation the development can attain up to an 80 per cent carbon emissions reduction throughout the scheme.

RPS’ project team successfully brought together a range of disciplines for the client: Regenter Myatts Field North consortium¹, Higgins Construction and Rydon Maintenance, with the Milton Keynes office providing M & E engineering design and Energy Assessments - Belfast office providing fire engineering advice; and Brighton office conducting the Air Quality Assessments for the energy centre.

Construction for the development began on site in May, with half the jobs directly created by the project employing local residents. The development is expected to reach full completion in 2016².