We worked with Singapore-based masterplanners and a US-based architectural team on the masterplan for a new university for Singapore. With the team, we explored massing and orientation options during the design process to maximise natural ventilation, daylight and external comfort.

The emphasis on external comfort and natural ventilation was such that a concept of canopies for solar shading over public spaces was revisited to increase the breezes flowing between the buildings. The canopies became scoop-like to catch the prevailing wind.

We provided sustainability advice in the form of energy efficient cooling strategies, vital for Singapore’s humid climate, written guidelines, and a programme of campus specific key performance indicators and sustainability targets to assist the university in assessing competition entries for individual plot designs

This masterplan for an area to the south of Berkhamsted is an urban extension consisting of 760 new homes. A village centre provides community facilities and economic opportunities such as flexible office space, leisure facilities and a school, served by a new bus loop and cycling facilities. The acoustic design includes a barrier to the very busy A41 road which connects existing ecological habitats to create a new green corridor.

Max Fordham LLP were responsible for guiding the sustainability process in the design, setting the environmental, water and energy strategies, and communicating design targets covering all aspects of sustainability. These include designing the site to be Zero Carbon and homes to a minimum of Level 4 under the Code for Sustainable Homes. We participated in and led parts of the stakeholder engagement. Due to the changing sustainability policy context, working with the planners was essential for achieving an appropriate long term strategy for the site.

Planning has been achieved for the regeneration of this urban block in South East London, delivering over 1,000,000sqft of floor space, 1,040 new homes and 1,200 new jobs over the next 10 years. The site is large enough to accommodate a mix of housing types; flats in towers with wider settings and great views; traditional street pattern, family homes with private gardens; courtyard development with central, communal amenity; urban lofts set above retail and core community clusters.

Max Fordham LLP worked with the design team to masterplan the building services, energy and sustainability strategy and the planning application documents have been lodged. The site initiated the first district heating connection to the existing SELCHP waste incinerator, only 750m from the site. All dwellings were designed to CSH level 4 and one wharf to CSH level 6.