Urban project
CDMS Partners Architects & Interiors have seen a rising trend over the past years. With land prices still at a premium and restrictions in place to prevent the unnecessary spread of building into the countryside, development opportunities are being unearthed in all sorts of locations.
Developing a piece of land may seem like quite a daunting project and something quite far from reach for most of us, however this isn’t always the case, as CDMS Partners have proven.
Director Chris Scarr explains: “We have a number of professional developer clients at the moment who we are working with on some very interesting urban sites across the South East. Likewise, we have several private clients who have approached us with surprising development opportunities of their own. These are often really interesting projects to work on and we find that the sites with the biggest constraints often result in the best designs and solutions.
“Our current schemes include hidden land to the rear of existing properties”
“The projects and sites can really range in size – some of our current schemes include hidden land to the rear of existing properties, or simply an existing garage, which has the opportunity to be demolished and developed into a small new house.”
Using an architect can also add significant value, as they will have excellent knowledge of the local planning policies, and be able to provide clever solutions to the potential pitfalls for these types of projects such as overlooking and daylighting. CDMS Partners has years of experience guiding clients, no matter how experienced in construction, through the whole project. From establishing whether there is an opportunity on the site for development, obtaining all the relevant permissions, finding the right builder to work with, agreeing the cost and overseeing the works on site.
Developing a ‘Brownfield’ site is also widely accepted as the most sustainable solution. “People are becoming more aware of their environmental responsibilities when approaching a building project, which is really positive. It is logical that redeveloping an existing site is more sustainable than developing a new one, in the same way that it is more sustainable to re-use bags at the supermarket.”
CDMS Partners are currently designing houses on two urban sites [pictured], both of which use timber construction alongside sustainable energy sources such as solar thermal panels. They feature projecting windows orientated to prevent overlooking which in turn provide additional internal spaces. Chris says: “This not only creates more interesting rooms, but the additional space also adds that other important factor for a client – value!”
If you have a building project in mind CDMS Partners are happy to talk to you about your ideas and plans and offer a free initial consultation.
CDMS Partners Ltd is an award winning Brighton based Architectural Practice. Call 01273 220407, email hello@cdmspartners.com or visit www.cdmspartners.com,
Twitter: @cdmspartnersltd
