Equally important as the physical bricks and mortar which comprise a home is the design, both internally and externally. Britain holds a long tradition of producing globally renowned architects and designers and now the prestigious What House? Awards has named the Best Interior, Exterior and Landscape Designs in the UK in 2011.

Receiving the gold award for Best Interior Design is Weston Homes for the gated development of King’s Island. Comprising 24 three- and four-bedroom family homes and 127 one and two bedroom new-build and listed conversion apartments situated in a picturesque landscape by the Grand Union Canal in Denham, Uxbridge, the judging panel praised the overall attention to detail and use of quality materials, in particular the “use of solid wood floors and doors throughout and craftsman-like joinery and cabinetry and quality appliances”.

Featuring a super indulgent master bathroom with standalone bath, walk-in wardrobes, above-height ceilings and light-enhancing balustrading on the staircase, King’s island is certainly fit for royalty. As the judges commented, “a well thought-out and cleverly executed development that delivers design aesthetics, quality of construction and genuine value for money”. Four-bedroom, mid-terraced homes here are priced at £700,000.

Looking externally, it was United House & Londonewscastle who took the coveted gold award for Best Exterior Design for Arundel Square in Islington, London, adding to its already impressive accolades for the contemporary reworking of a traditional Victorian square.

With terraces built along three sides, the way in which completion of the fourth side of the square, blighted by an unsightly railway line, was undertaken was rewarded by the judges who commented that the developers had steered away from a “pastiche approach to the external challenge; rather adopting a more contemporary look”.

Arundel Square comprises 146 homes ranging in price from £285,000 to £1.5 million with plenty of green space and some delightful landscaping. The judges particularly liked the balcony treatment, with blue and green colours and stained-glass finishes with galvanised steel rails, which appeared to project outwards towards the garden square like “auditorium theatre boxes”, no idle architectural pretension considering the chief executive of United House, Jeff Adams, is a keen theatre-goer and patron of the arts.

In the hotly contested category of Best Landscape Design, two developments were deserved gold winners – United House Developments and Londonewcastle once again for Arundel Square and St James for The Hamptons in Worcester Park, Surrey.

One of the outstanding qualities of Arundel Square was that its design was delivered through comprehensive consultation between the client, Islington council´s Greenspace team and the local community to ensure it would offer something to all age groups.

The result sees the inclusion of an enclosed play area for younger children, a hard surface games area, ping pong table, chess, basketball hoop and games table. Elsewhere, earth mounding has created an attractive landscape that also includes an informal curved seating area, individual park benches, and timber deck. Open grass areas are combined with new tree and herbaceous planting.

As the judges enthused, “the design skill has been to incorporate these components within the elegant design of a Victorian square. The design is understated and the materials merge comfortably with the colours and tones of the original buildings and the result is a calm and pleasant landscape.”

Looking south of the river, The Hamptons in Worcester Park, Surrey was created on a former Thames Water site meaning the developer and landscape architects had to meet the challenges of an industrial legacy, including redundant gasometers and a major power line running nearby.

Of the 60 acre site, more than half is dedicated to natural parkland which includes four acres of lakes to provide a habitat for wildlife. The central parkland, known as Mayflower Park, includes a raised amphitheatre and sculpted hill created a central focus and viewing platform towards London, only 30 minutes away.

The judging panel commented that “St James should be congratulated in creating and executing such a carefully designed scheme. The architecture and setting is attractive, the atmosphere is relaxing, and the development is a welcoming place to live”.
To find out more about the Best Interior, Exterior and Landscape Designs as well a full list of What House? Award winners visit http://www.whathouse.co.uk/what-house-awards/results-2011 or download the new What House? App for iPhone and shortly iPad.

To register for details of the 2012 What House? Awards please contact Derek Smith. ds@globespanmedia.com. Tel: 020-7324-2800.
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Notes to Editors:

Rupert Bates, editorial director of whathouse.co.uk would like to thank the following What House? Awards 2011 sponsors:

 Whathouse.co.uk
 Roca
 Spicerhaart land & new homes
 Nolte Kitchens
 Hometrack
 Show House magazine
 Electrolux
 Premier Guarantee
 Johnson Tiles
 Laufen
 ScottishPower
 KLAS International

With Knight Frank reporting that retired people now form the UK’s fastest growing demographic group (Retirement Housing Report 2010), demand for dedicated Retirement Developments has never been higher. But with more and more retirement properties coming to the market, how do you make the right choice for your ‘third age’?

Well it would seem that Brothers, Spencer and Clinton McCarthy of Churchill Retirement Living and the Sisters of St Augustine of the Mercy of Jesus, nuns turned property developers, Augustinian Living, have the answers.

Sons of John McCarthy, the original retirement homes king and founder of McCarthy & Stone, Spencer and Clinton McCarthy, owners of Churchill Retirement Living have been awarded gold in the highly competitive Best Retirement Development category for Hamlet Lodge, Gloucester in the prestigious 30th What House? Awards 2011.

A superb development comprising 48 one and two bedroom apartments, Hamlet Lodge is highly affordable, a key concern for those entering retirement, with prices starting from £145,000. Located close to Gloucester city centre and crucially a flat walk to shopping facilities and other amenities, the judges commented that there “was nothing institutionalised about this neat, stylish development, rather independent living with your own front door, but with the reassurance of a lodge manager and a 24-hour Careline.”

Praised also for the landscaped gardens and sense of community, Hamlet Lodge’s apartment specifications also “showed awareness of mobility issues among the elderly and Churchill is very proactive with its research, continually looking to evolve its product based on changing needs and customer profiles”.

Doing it for the girls, the Sisters of St Augustine of the Mercy of Jesus, a religious order of nuns turned property developers under the name of Augustinian Living back in 2005 to fund a new retreat at St George’s Park in East Sussex, have won yet another What House? Award – silver in the Best Retirement Development category.

Some may say a divine choice, St George’s Park, a retirement development with care village and nursing home, features 235 apartments for the over 60s situated over 250 acres of prime Sussex countryside near Haywards Heath. More than 200 people live at St George´s Park and current availability starts from £345,000 for a two-bedroom apartment.

The estate includes farmland, woodland and a lake, as well as the convent with the judges praising “both the environmental and entrepreneurial spirit running through the village, with its wildlife habitats, keen gardeners tending allotments and a working farm.”

There are plenty of village facilities and activities for residents within the versatile community centre with its bar and restaurant. Outside there is a bowling green and a croquet lawn, as well as fishing on the lake and a gym, swimming pool and tennis court planned.

In a highly competitive sector, the judges noted that St George’s Park “is a really sensitive, beautifully conceived and executed retirement and nursing village scheme – sensitive to its range of residents as well as its heritage and environment. Nothing jars in this community, which has a buzz about it, but with a contemplative feel too, as befits its creators”.

To find out more about the Best Retirement Developments, as well a full list of What House? Award winners visit  http://www.whathouse.co.uk/what-house-awards/results-2011 or download the new What House? App for iPhone and shortly iPad.

To register for details of the 2012 What House? Awards please contact Derek Smith. ds@globespanmedia.com. Tel: 020-7324-2800.
————————-ends—————————–
Notes to Editors:

Rupert Bates, editorial director of whathouse.co.uk would like to thank the following What House? Awards 2011 sponsors:

 Whathouse.co.uk
 Roca
 Spicerhaart land & new homes
 Nolte Kitchens
 Hometrack
 Show House magazine
 Electrolux
 Premier Guarantee
 Johnson Tiles
 Laufen
 ScottishPower
 KLAS International

As a family-run business, City & Country Group was commended by the judges for “staying small but thinking big” is on the lookout for joint venture partnerships with larger housebuilders to “help them unlock the value of heritage sites and historic buildings, by bringing its specialist skills to the party”. In fact, George Clarke, Channel 4´s Restoration Man, is helping City & Country Group promote the issue of neglected historic buildings within Britain.

Having completed 40 homes across four developments, City & Country Group was also praised for its new build developments that are “equally striking and classy”, with judges commending the “architectural conviction and enthusiasm that clearly resonates throughout the business”.

The housebuilder was also praised for its exceptional service across various fields including customer care, sales and marketing, public relations and staff development, while its community support, including the part-funding of Essex County Council´s Traditional Building Skills courses, was also highlighted.

And the good news continues for City & Country Group, with gold in the Best Starter Home category for Kendall Court, The Galleries, Brentwood, Essex.

City & Country Group has created a remarkable group of conversions at The Galleries, illustrated by the one-bedroom apartment at Kendall Court which exudes charm and an affordable price tag of £195,000.

The property, centred on the red-brick Tudor and gothic-inspired buildings of the original hospital, built in 1853, received acclaim from the judges who highlighted that “its restored brickwork, roofing, windows and ornamental features make a first property here unlike any other new-build scheme in this area. Renovations of this quality rarely appear with a price tag that is affordable to a typical first-time buyer”.

The Victorian hospital building, which maintains its exposed brick features, beautifully complements the oak flooring and modern day kitchen and bathroom while the 484 square feet property which affords an unusual layout, provides a double bedroom and dining areas, snuggled into the traditional vaulted arches.

In addition, City & Country Group has also created a set of diverse garden areas. Located on a peaceful hilltop residents will be able to bask in the wonderful views of Essex countryside spanning out towards London.

“Arguably the most distinctive feature of this stunning starter home is its character”. This comment from the judges is indeed true but what helps match this property to first time buyers is its location which provides good commuter rail links, proximity to shops and the M25 and allocated parking.

To find out more about the Best Small Housebuilder and Best Starter Home as well a full list of What House? Award winners visit http://www.whathouse.co.uk/what-house-awards/results-2011 or download the new What House? App for iPhone and shortly iPad.

To register for details of the 2012 What House? Awards please contact Derek Smith. ds@globespanmedia.com. Tel: 020-7324-2800.
————————-ends—————————–
Notes to Editors:

Rupert Bates, editorial director of whathouse.co.uk would like to thank the following What House? Awards 2011 sponsors:

 Whathouse.co.uk
 Roca
 Spicerhaart land & new homes
 Nolte Kitchens
 Hometrack
 Show House magazine
 Electrolux
 Premier Guarantee
 Johnson Tiles
 Laufen
 ScottishPower
 KLAS International

With 30% of the UK’s energy use at household level, produced mainly through heating and hot water, sustainable housing is becoming an increasingly important topic with many speaking of the urgent need to improve our housing stock to save energy, cut CO2 and reduce our carbon footprint.

One such housebuilder which has the key elements of sustainable construction at its heart is Keepmoat Homes, gold winner at last week’s prestigious What House? Awards ceremony.

Taking the Sustainable Developer of the Year title, Keepmoat Homes has a strong commitment to sustainability, announcing last week that it achieved its highest score to date under the NextGeneration benchmark, which measures a company’s sustainability performance, propelling the housebuilder to fifth place in the 2011 sustainability rankings.

While Keepmoat ensures that all properties are built to code 3 under The Code for Sustainable Homes (CSH), an environmental impact rating system for housing in England and Wales which has set new standards in energy efficiency, Keepmoat’s outstanding sustainability performance extends to becoming the most prolific provider of zero carbon, level 6 homes in the country.

With this in mind, Keepmoat is in the process of constructing two homes to CSH (November 2010) levels 5 and 6 to be certified under SAP 2009, with the What House? Awards judges praising these trial projects, stating that they will “show that these levels can be achieved practically, simply and cost-effectively”.

With a long standing history since the 1930’s, Keepmoat Homes builds and sells over 1200 properties each year, building or refurbishing a house every three minutes, and as a result, sustainability in housing development has become an integral part of the company seeing their Management Action Group formulate a series of policies including: a Sustainability Policy, a Climate Change Policy and a Biodiversity Policy, while also producing a Home User Guide for all customers to encourage environmental responsibility.

Indeed, while Keepmoat strive to raise awareness of sustainable issues as well as working on sustainable solutions to solve them, Keepmoat has led the way for sustainability among the housebuilding industry, being the first UK housebuilder to operate an Energy Management System that conforms with the requirements of BS EN 16001 for the acquisition of land and the design, construction and sale of residential buildings. Keepmoat is also ISO 14001 accredited, setting itself challenging objectives to reduce energy, water consumption and the carbon footprint by 2012.

Recognising the importance of sustainable development practices, all Keepmoat sites are registered with the Considerate Constructors Scheme to encourage responsible site management in relation to the environment. With this in mind, the judges commended Keepmoat’s membership of the UK Green Building Council and NEXT-GEN partnership; explain that these associations “further enhance Keepmoat’s sustainability credentials”.
To find out more about the Sustainable Developer of the Year as well a full list of What House? Award winners visit http://www.whathouse.co.uk/what-house-awards/results-2011 or download the new What House? App for iPhone and shortly iPad.
To register for details of the 2012 What House? Awards please contact Derek Smith. ds@globespanmedia.com. Tel: 020-7324-2800.
————————-ends—————————–

Notes to Editors:
Rupert Bates, editorial director of whathouse.co.uk would like to thank the following What House? Awards 2011 sponsors:
 Whathouse.co.uk
 Roca
 Spicerhaart land & new homes
 Nolte Kitchens
 Hometrack
 Show House magazine
 Electrolux
 Premier Guarantee
 Johnson Tiles
 Laufen
 ScottishPower
 KLAS International

All eyes will be on London in 2012 with the Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games coming to town as well as the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations. And whilst the athletes will be striving for a podium position, Quintain Estates & Development is already a gold medal winner with their Wembley City project named as Best Mixed Use Development in the prestigious What House? Awards 2011.
Announced at the 30th annual glittering awards ceremony held last Friday at The Grosvenor, London, Wembley City, the major transformation of 85 acres of land surrounding the national football stadium and arena in Wembley, north-west London, into a vibrant mixed-use community, was praised by the judges for “helping to give the area a much needed facelift, following many years of neglect”.
When complete, Wembley City will form the heart of the area, with a fine mix of homes, retail outlets, commercial space and leisure and entertaining venues. It is one of the largest regeneration schemes in the UK, creating over 5,500 residential properties, a luxury hotel, an apart-hotel, an abundance of leisure and entertainment space, including a nine-screen cinema, 1.8 million-square foot designer retail outlet centre, 127,000 square feet of sports-related retail and 140,000 square feet of restaurants, bars and cafés.
Rupert Bates, editorial director of whathouse.co.uk, commented,
“Wembley City forms a key part of the wider regeneration of this area of north-west London and Quintain’s commitment to delivering people, businesses and economic growth to the heart of Wembley is to be applauded. A deserved winner, Wembley City is progressing on schedule with the first two residential buildings already completed and tenanted along with Wembley Arena and Arena Square now open.”
With tourism to the Capital steadily rising and over 500,000 additional visitors expected in 2012 alone due to the Olympic Games (as part of which Wembley Arena will host a number of events) demand for accommodation is high. The next phase of Wembley City will entail a 4* Hilton hotel and a 661 bedroom student accommodation block, both of which are well underway with completion scheduled for 2012.  The new hotel and student accommodation will be complemented by a London Designer Outlet, the new Brent civic centre and a library, which are scheduled to open in 2013.
As the judging panel concluded, Wembley City is a “high-quality development, easily accessible on the Jubilee and Metropolitan tube lines, taking residential and commercial architecture in Wembley to a new level”.

To find out more about the Best Mixed Use Development, as well a full list of What House? Award winners visit http://www.whathouse.co.uk/what-house-awards/results-2011 or download the new What House? App for iPhone and shortly iPad.
To register for details of the 2012 What House? Awards please contact Derek Smith. ds@globespanmedia.com. Tel: 020-7324-2800.
————————-ends—————————–
Notes to Editors:

Rupert Bates, editorial director of whathouse.co.uk would like to thank the following What House? Awards 2011 sponsors:

 Whathouse.co.uk
 Roca
 Spicerhaart land & new homes
 Nolte Kitchens
 Hometrack
 Show House magazine
 Electrolux
 Premier Guarantee
 Johnson Tiles
 Laufen
 ScottishPower
 KLAS International

The Berkeley Group, Britain´s leading urban regenerator and well respected housebuilder based in Cobham, Surrey has taken home 12 awards at this year’s prestigious What House? Awards.
 

Unveiled last week at the 30th annual awards ceremony The Berkeley Group was presented with a selection of awards spanning a number of categories with Rupert Bates editorial director of whathouse.co.uk commenting,
 

“The Berkeley Group is one of the UK’s best new home developers. Having earned themselves a first-class reputation for building top quality new homes across London and the Home Counties constructing lavish houses to top quality apartments, they aspire to cater to all buyer needs”.
 

Established in 1976, The Berkeley Group has transformed itself from a traditional housebuilder, into a pioneering urban regeneration business with new home developments delivered through its divisions which include Berkeley Homes, St George, St James Homes and St Edward Homes.
 

The Berkeley Group and its brands scooped 12 awards for their landmark developments, with St James Homes winning Gold for Best House. Queens Acre, set in the grounds of a historic building just outside Beaconsfield, is a small development of 32 homes arranged around the Victorian walled garden of the old house. Described as “an outstanding house – well designed and beautifully executed”, this development is said to perfectly embody the modern family lifestyle whilst maintaining its traditional roots.
 

In the Best Landscape Design category The Berkeley Group Brand, St James won gold for The Hamptons in Worcester Park while St Edward Homes took bronze for Stanmore Place, London. Comprised of 60 acres, with four acres of lakes to provide a habitat for wildlife, The Hamptons landscape architects created “open spaces and squares linked by bold, structural, tree planting that flows through the scheme like ribbons”.
 

The dedication to sustainable urban regeneration by The Berkeley Group saw them take silver for Sustainable Developer of the Year thanks to “92 percent of their homes being built on Brownfield Land and their commitment to the Lifetimes homes principle in its design” as explained by the judges.
 

Other silver accolades were presented to Berkeley for Best Large Housebuilder and Best Development which both highlighted The Royal Arsenal Riverside in Woolwich as an example of “best practice in the regeneration of listed buildings” as well as receiving an award for Best Exterior Design for Park Crescent at Kingsbrook Park, a charming Georgian-style crescent in a historic cathedral city that has been “designed in sympathy with its Georgian predecessors” but with the “added benefit of modern technology, furnishing and finishing”.
 

In addition, St James took the Best Interior Design silver prize for Queens Acre. Also voted Best House, judges were impressed by the décor executed by Alexander James Interior Design which was described as “elegant and restrained throughout, with especially good use of textured wallpapers, tactile fabrics and quality materials”. This category also saw Berkeley Homes win bronze for The Target Living Collection, a collection of eight three-bedroom mews houses occupying the West Range of The Armouries at the Royal Arsenal Riverside development in London, praised for its clever space planning making the homes appear “significantly larger” given each property is only just over 1000 square feet.
 

Meanwhile, Berkeley Homes also received a bronze award for Best Starter Home which acknowledged Victory Pier on the Medway in Gillingham, an attractive waterfront development, as a “perfect example of a scheme guaranteed to appeal to the first-time buyer market”.
 

The Best Renovation bronze accolade went the Berkeley Homes for All Saints, Eastbourne, East Sussex, a Grade II listed, Victorian Gothic hospital which has been successfully converted from “institutional to residential use while maintaining the cohesive feel and distinctive atmosphere of the buildings” while the Best Brownfield Development bronze award was picked up by Berkeley Homes for transforming Caspian Wharf in London, a former polluted, industrial site into 543 high-specification units which represents a “model of inner-city regeneration”.

To find out more about The Berkeley Group awards or for the full list of What House? Awards winners and the winning developments visit http://www.whathouse.co.uk/what-house-awards/results-2011 or download the new What House? App for iPhone and shortly iPad.

To register for details of the 2012 What House? Awards please contact Derek Smith. ds@globespanmedia.com. Tel: 020-7324-2800

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Notes to Editors

Rupert Bates, Editorial Director of What House? would like to thank the following What House? Awards 2011 sponsors:

 
  Whathouse.co.uk
  Roca
  Spicerhaart land & new homes
  Nolte Kitchens
  Hometrack 
  Show House magazine
  Electrolux
  Premier Guarantee 
  Johnson Tiles
  Laufen
  ScottishPower 
  KLAS International

United House Developments was awarded the prestigious Housebuilder of the Year accolade – the biggest prize in new homes – at the What House? Awards earlier today at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel.

Now in their 30th year, the What House? Awards with www.whathouse.co.uk are the most coveted and longest established new homes awards, celebrating the achievements of housebuilders and developers in the UK, both large and small, across 21 categories.

Rupert Bates, editorial director of whathouse.co.uk, said:

“The What House? Awards, considered the ‘Oscars’ of the housebuilding industry, showcase some of the UK’s most exciting and dynamic new developers, as well as highlighting the innovations among the industry’s big players. This year’s awards ceremony has been one of the biggest and most successful ever. It is great to see that, even in an extremely tough economic climate, so many housebuilders and developers have sustained their ethos on quality. United House Developments, the residential arm of the United House Group, is one such builder that has not and never will compromise on this and we are proud to have awarded them housebuilding’s biggest award.”

As a company that sprung to life in 1964 as Harp Heating, a domestic central heating specialist, United House Developments has come a long way, having established a variety of business skills that enable the company to move into any sector within the market, spotting opportunities and creating innovative partnerships.

The judging panel at the What House? Awards had this to stay about the 2011 Housebuilder of the Year:

“We would like to congratulate United House on winning the new homes industry’s greatest accolade. In the last year, United House Developments has delivered 191 units, with a vast price range – from a £130,000 apartment in a Hounslow regeneration scheme, up to a £5.5 million property at Central St Giles in London´s Covent Garden. There is more to come, with future developments totalling more than £500 million, among them some hugely exciting and mould-breaking projects.”

The Gold Winners

HOUSEBUILDER OF THE YEAR

United House Developments

BEST LARGE HOUSEBUILDER

Redrow Homes

BEST MEDIUM HOUSEBUILDER

United House Developments

BEST SMALL HOUSEBUILDER

City & Country Group

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPER OF THE YEAR

Keepmoat Homes

HOUSING ASSOCIATION OF THE YEAR

Affinity Sutton

BEST STARTER HOME

City & Country Group

BEST HOUSE

St James Homes

BEST APARTMENT SCHEME

Dandara & Octogan

BEST LUXURY HOUSE

Octagon

BEST RENOVATION

North Wales Housing

BEST DEVELOPMENT

Lower Mill Estate

BEST PARTNERSHIP SCHEME

Yuill Homes/North Tyneside Council

BEST LUXURY DEVELOPMENT

Manor Kingdom Homes by Gladedale

BEST MIXED USE DEVELOPMENT

Quintain Estates & Development

BEST SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Linden Homes, Affinity Sutton, Homes & Communities Agency

BEST RETIREMENT DEVELOPMENT

Churchill Retirement Living

BEST BROWNFIELD DEVELOPMENT

Hopkins Homes

BEST INTERIOR DESIGN

Weston Homes

BEST EXTERIOR DESIGN

United House and Londonewcastle

BEST LANDSCAPE DESIGN

United House Developments, Londonewcastle and St James Homes

For the full list of What House? Awards winners and the winning developments visit http://www.whathouse.co.uk/what-house-awards/results-2011 or download the new What House? App for iPhone and shortly iPad.

To register for details of the 2012 What House? Awards please contact Derek Smith. ds@globespanmedia.com. Tel: 020-7324-2800
 

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Notes to Editors:

Rupert Bates, editorial director of whathouse.co.uk would like to thank the following What House? Awards 2011 sponsors:

 
 Whathouse.co.uk
 Roca
 Spicerhaart land & new homes
 Nolte Kitchens
 Hometrack 
 Show House magazine
 Electrolux
 Premier Guarantee 
 Johnson Tiles
 Laufen
 ScottishPower 
 KLAS International