Comments on: Oxley Woods by Rogers Stirk Harbour and Partners http://www.dezeen.com/2007/05/31/oxley-woods-by-rogers-stirk-harbour-and-partners/ architecture and design magazine Sat, 21 Nov 2009 17:19:17 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Paul http://www.dezeen.com/2007/05/31/oxley-woods-by-rogers-stirk-harbour-and-partners/comment-page-1/#comment-285465 Paul Wed, 24 Jun 2009 08:45:39 +0000 http://www.dezeen.com/2007/05/31/oxley-woods-by-rogers-stirk-harbour-and-partners/#comment-285465 Unfortunately, it appears there are several inherent faults with the design and construction of the window and surrounds. A year in, and we're still leaking, and the house builders are still struggling to get things resolved long term. Unfortunately, it appears there are several inherent faults with the design and construction of the window and surrounds.

A year in, and we’re still leaking, and the house builders are still struggling to get things resolved long term.

]]> By: Bob http://www.dezeen.com/2007/05/31/oxley-woods-by-rogers-stirk-harbour-and-partners/comment-page-1/#comment-234645 Bob Fri, 13 Feb 2009 19:44:18 +0000 http://www.dezeen.com/2007/05/31/oxley-woods-by-rogers-stirk-harbour-and-partners/#comment-234645 The lack of good design that rick deckard laments has much to do with the way in which many architects approach small residential projects. Small, cost-effective, livable residential units require too much engineering elegance while offering too little ego-gratification. Add in sustainability, and the problem gets worse. Too often, architect-designed houses show too little attention to the construction details and require a lot of costly on-site troubleshooting. The leaky windows Paul complains about are the result. Some of the details that need attention bring together high levels of annoyance with high levels of apparent triviality, and are just what ego-driven creative types would rather overlook. This inattention to boring details raises costs and makes such designs unattractive to builders. For a house design to be cost effective, it has to be reproducible in fairly large numbers, leading to either too much monolithic repetitiveness on one site or too-scattered commonness on many sites. It's humble design work, especially when, on top of the usual aesthetic and livability concerns, one has to create houses that are cheap and idiot proof, since low-end residential construction is often done by relatively inexperienced workers. Working with less money and less space demands a more nit-picking, fussy problem-solving creativity while striving for simple elegance. Admittedly, there's a lot of foot-dragging to contend with from lenders, building inspectors, and insurers, but this resistance can often be overcome with an impressive show of homework and documentation that demonstrates that similar construction and design techniques and principles have been employed elsewhere, and have proven sound. This is the kind of research a good grad student could do part-time, but it's generally ignored, except in narrow technical terms. Relatively conservative construction environments also call for less flamboyant envelope-pushing, too. Designers of affordable housing should ask themselves whether they'd want their less-well-off parents or children living in what they design, not only with regard to how well the design fulfills the human spirit, but also in consideration of those durability and maintenance concerns that can make a house a nightmare. The lack of good design that rick deckard laments has much to do with the way in which many architects approach small residential projects. Small, cost-effective, livable residential units require too much engineering elegance while offering too little ego-gratification. Add in sustainability, and the problem gets worse. Too often, architect-designed houses show too little attention to the construction details and require a lot of costly on-site troubleshooting. The leaky windows Paul complains about are the result. Some of the details that need attention bring together high levels of annoyance with high levels of apparent triviality, and are just what ego-driven creative types would rather overlook. This inattention to boring details raises costs and makes such designs unattractive to builders.
For a house design to be cost effective, it has to be reproducible in fairly large numbers, leading to either too much monolithic repetitiveness on one site or too-scattered commonness on many sites. It’s humble design work, especially when, on top of the usual aesthetic and livability concerns, one has to create houses that are cheap and idiot proof, since low-end residential construction is often done by relatively inexperienced workers. Working with less money and less space demands a more nit-picking, fussy problem-solving creativity while striving for simple elegance.
Admittedly, there’s a lot of foot-dragging to contend with from lenders, building inspectors, and insurers, but this resistance can often be overcome with an impressive show of homework and documentation that demonstrates that similar construction and design techniques and principles have been employed elsewhere, and have proven sound. This is the kind of research a good grad student could do part-time, but it’s generally ignored, except in narrow technical terms. Relatively conservative construction environments also call for less flamboyant envelope-pushing, too.
Designers of affordable housing should ask themselves whether they’d want their less-well-off parents or children living in what they design, not only with regard to how well the design fulfills the human spirit, but also in consideration of those durability and maintenance concerns that can make a house a nightmare.

]]> By: Iskandar Rafeh http://www.dezeen.com/2007/05/31/oxley-woods-by-rogers-stirk-harbour-and-partners/comment-page-1/#comment-199347 Iskandar Rafeh Fri, 14 Nov 2008 12:39:01 +0000 http://www.dezeen.com/2007/05/31/oxley-woods-by-rogers-stirk-harbour-and-partners/#comment-199347 to a new vision to a new vision

]]> By: Paul http://www.dezeen.com/2007/05/31/oxley-woods-by-rogers-stirk-harbour-and-partners/comment-page-1/#comment-195479 Paul Sat, 01 Nov 2008 23:45:08 +0000 http://www.dezeen.com/2007/05/31/oxley-woods-by-rogers-stirk-harbour-and-partners/#comment-195479 We moved into our Oxley Woods house in the summer of 2008. We bought into it for many of the same reasons as Rick above, we wanted something unique, different, we can't stand the run-of-the-mill brick build boxes, mock this and that that spring up all over the place, and we couldn't pursue the self build dream that we really wanted to (yet!). Unfortunately, it's fair to say that while we love the area, the look and feel of the houses and the estate, our property has been plagued with problems including several cases of rain water leaking in through windows and walls, and we're still finding more months after taking occupancy! Hopefully things will improve, but it truly does feel like life on the "bleeding edge" of home ownership! We moved into our Oxley Woods house in the summer of 2008. We bought into it for many of the same reasons as Rick above, we wanted something unique, different, we can’t stand the run-of-the-mill brick build boxes, mock this and that that spring up all over the place, and we couldn’t pursue the self build dream that we really wanted to (yet!).

Unfortunately, it’s fair to say that while we love the area, the look and feel of the houses and the estate, our property has been plagued with problems including several cases of rain water leaking in through windows and walls, and we’re still finding more months after taking occupancy!

Hopefully things will improve, but it truly does feel like life on the “bleeding edge” of home ownership!

]]> By: rick deckard http://www.dezeen.com/2007/05/31/oxley-woods-by-rogers-stirk-harbour-and-partners/comment-page-1/#comment-178293 rick deckard Fri, 19 Sep 2008 09:32:59 +0000 http://www.dezeen.com/2007/05/31/oxley-woods-by-rogers-stirk-harbour-and-partners/#comment-178293 my wife and i moved into oxley park in february 2008. i have to come clean and say we are both architects...and knew about this development way before it was built. while we are totally committed to sustainable design and reducing carbon emissions, it wasn't the eco-features that was the main attraction of the development. funnily enough it was the experience inside that really marked this product out as something new in the UK mass housing scene. by using large windows, larger corridors, wider staircases and door frames that went right up to the soffit of the ceiling, the houses felt much bigger inside than they looked on the outside. i am assuming that the generous proportions are as a result of complying with the lifetime homes standards - but it really makes a huge difference to the feeling inside. the feeling of light and spaciousness was really palpable, and in total contrast to the boxy rabbit hutch feeling of all the other volume housing products that are the norm in this type of housing. RRP has put skylights in the top floor bathroom and there is also a skylight at the top of the hall just at the end of the staircase which floods the staircase with natural light. I find it ironic that although the houses are definitely striking in their aesthetic, and use all the latest prefabrication methods, it is these simple measures that make the most difference to the experience of the design. When my wife saw the skylight in the top floor bathroom (ours is a 3 storey model) that was the clincher and we signed up for the house based on the feeling we got whilst in the house...an emotional decision. so after all is said and done, why is it that all UK house builders cannot understand this? that by building boxy mean rabbit hutches with dark and dingy rooms, small windows, and mean corridors that they are depriving so many people of a decent living standard. and these are things that can be done to any house, dont even start talking about the eco features that these houses have... i guess the ony thing to say is that as long as people keep buying the mass produced rubbish of volume housebuilders, then that is what is going to keep getting built. the most depressing thing is that when i tried to get a mortgage or house insurance for our new house, many banks and insurers were unwilling to lend or insure the home, as they didnt understand the construction and were concerned that the homes would not hold their value or would be somehow 'easy to break into'...despite these homes being compliant with secure by design and have better fire rating than a traditional brick and block construction...ignorance rears its ugly head yet again in the quest of decent housing for normal people in UK. the construction used in these houses has been proven in germany and scandinavia for donkeys years and yet here in UK we are treating it as if its something to be marvelled at...if it werent for the new Code for Sustainable Homes i doubt if we would ever catch up with the rest of the world, so again legislation has a big part to play in forcing housebuilders to get their act together. anyway, we have been living in our house quite happily since then and wouldnt swap it for the world...and yes, we have not had to switch on our heating yet, whilst all my colleagues have had to fire up their radiators...so the eco thingies must be working. finally some wishful thinking ...some day all houses will be made this way? my wife and i moved into oxley park in february 2008. i have to come clean and say we are both architects…and knew about this development way before it was built. while we are totally committed to sustainable design and reducing carbon emissions, it wasn’t the eco-features that was the main attraction of the development.

funnily enough it was the experience inside that really marked this product out as something new in the UK mass housing scene.

by using large windows, larger corridors, wider staircases and door frames that went right up to the soffit of the ceiling, the houses felt much bigger inside than they looked on the outside. i am assuming that the generous proportions are as a result of complying with the lifetime homes standards – but it really makes a huge difference to the feeling inside.

the feeling of light and spaciousness was really palpable, and in total contrast to the boxy rabbit hutch feeling of all the other volume housing products that are the norm in this type of housing.

RRP has put skylights in the top floor bathroom and there is also a skylight at the top of the hall just at the end of the staircase which floods the staircase with natural light.

I find it ironic that although the houses are definitely striking in their aesthetic, and use all the latest prefabrication methods, it is these simple measures that make the most difference to the experience of the design.

When my wife saw the skylight in the top floor bathroom (ours is a 3 storey model) that was the clincher and we signed up for the house based on the feeling we got whilst in the house…an emotional decision.

so after all is said and done, why is it that all UK house builders cannot understand this? that by building boxy mean rabbit hutches with dark and dingy rooms, small windows, and mean corridors that they are depriving so many people of a decent living standard. and these are things that can be done to any house, dont even start talking about the eco features that these houses have…

i guess the ony thing to say is that as long as people keep buying the mass produced rubbish of volume housebuilders, then that is what is going to keep getting built.

the most depressing thing is that when i tried to get a mortgage or house insurance for our new house, many banks and insurers were unwilling to lend or insure the home, as they didnt understand the construction and were concerned that the homes would not hold their value or would be somehow ‘easy to break into’…despite these homes being compliant with secure by design and have better fire rating than a traditional brick and block construction…ignorance rears its ugly head yet again in the quest of decent housing for normal people in UK.

the construction used in these houses has been proven in germany and scandinavia for donkeys years and yet here in UK we are treating it as if its something to be marvelled at…if it werent for the new Code for Sustainable Homes i doubt if we would ever catch up with the rest of the world, so again legislation has a big part to play in forcing housebuilders to get their act together.

anyway, we have been living in our house quite happily since then and wouldnt swap it for the world…and yes, we have not had to switch on our heating yet, whilst all my colleagues have had to fire up their radiators…so the eco thingies must be working.

finally some wishful thinking …some day all houses will be made this way?

]]> By: Darren Edawards http://www.dezeen.com/2007/05/31/oxley-woods-by-rogers-stirk-harbour-and-partners/comment-page-1/#comment-29868 Darren Edawards Fri, 31 Aug 2007 14:47:41 +0000 http://www.dezeen.com/2007/05/31/oxley-woods-by-rogers-stirk-harbour-and-partners/#comment-29868 Well, it appears the first residents have now moved into one of these homes. No details as yet, but I will try and find out more. Well, it appears the first residents have now moved into one of these homes. No details as yet, but I will try and find out more.

]]> By: ramiro http://www.dezeen.com/2007/05/31/oxley-woods-by-rogers-stirk-harbour-and-partners/comment-page-1/#comment-28580 ramiro Sun, 26 Aug 2007 18:50:30 +0000 http://www.dezeen.com/2007/05/31/oxley-woods-by-rogers-stirk-harbour-and-partners/#comment-28580 admiro el trabajo de ROGERS,actualmente estoy diseñando una torre de acero, cristal y hormigon. Por la complejidad del proyecto y asu vez por la sencillez del mismo quiero que Richard Rogers lo conozca. Agradezco me indiquen a que direccion de correo puedo hacerle llegar imagenes y textos del mismo. Un saludo, Ramiro Gonzalez admiro el trabajo de ROGERS,actualmente estoy diseñando una torre de acero, cristal y hormigon. Por la complejidad del proyecto y asu vez por la sencillez del mismo quiero que Richard Rogers lo conozca.
Agradezco me indiquen a que direccion de correo puedo hacerle llegar imagenes y textos del mismo.

Un saludo,

Ramiro Gonzalez

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