After visiting Accordia in Cambridge, I was asked to do a study of the external spaces of the FCB Studio's Stirling Prize winning housing scheme.
Site Plan:
3 strong existing corridors of trees helped to frame the development, and are used as a privacy screen between different blocks . No large trees were felled in the construction of Accordia
I'll use this section to demonstrate the different external spaces within the scheme:
Public Spaces:
Narrow roads and wide pavements create pedestrian-friendly spaces :
Shared Spaces:
Communal spaces are provided in the form of courtyards and internal avenues. Within these spaces, orchards have been planted with the intention that the space should also allow for food production
Private Spaces:
(Private Gardens)
Streets:
Cars and Parking
Wide pavements, narrow roads and no road markings help to reduce traffic speed; as do the right - angled junctions and tight sightlines where drivers’ views are deliberately impeded. Streets are left relatively free of cars due to large garages. If residents park in the narrow street, the 6-7m wide spaces become dysfunctional. The street parking is therefore self policed. This forces residents to rethink owning numerous cars, and reinforces the city’s positive attitude towards cycling.
Diagram shows traffic routes in orange:
Only one entrance and exit to site also slows traffic .
The architects wanted to create a
‘more pedestrian and cycle dominated environment’
…and to
‘blur the boundaries between vehicular and pedestrian routes’
Parkland:
Overall Site Area – 9.5 hectares
Public Gardens – 3 hectares
Landscape – 100,000 plants
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