'City in a Garden': Accordia Housing - Essay Example

ington Architects (25%) and Alison Brooks Architects (10%) who were appointed in order to increase the variety in the structural design of construction across the development. Landscape artist Andrew Grant worked on the outdoors in coordination with the architect firms (RIBA, 2009; CABE, 2009). Thesis Statement: The purpose of this Architectural Case Study is to investigate how Accordia Housing Scheme addresses the issues of combining urbanity with nature in the masterplan, within its contextual surroundings, while creating a project with community at its heart.

The building scheme will be rigourously analysed, while taking specific criteria into consideration: nature, urban or city-style construction, and the use of technology including design approaches and techniques. Further, differing perceptions regarding the project will be identified. Similar to many of the historic urban residential areas of Cambridge, the Accordia site is located at the edge of the city centre. According to CABE (2009), the area surrounding Accordia Housing Development constitutes of a variety of architectural and open space elements including individual villas, denser Victorian housing, and the extensive Botanic Garden nearby.

The predominantly late Georgian and Victorian developments are characterised by domestic-scaled, two-to four-storey terraced and villa dwellings arranged around larger areas of open, green landscape, rectilinear streets and courtyards. In the same way, the masterplan of Accordia is designed with a full hierarchy and range of dense urban built form set within a strong landscape network. The principal concept was to develop tight, high-density urban blocks within a framework of generous public and semi-public garden spaces.

The natural features surrounding Accordia development project have been incorporated into the Housing Scheme, to enhance opportunities for enjoying nature, for walking and for play. According to the Chief Planner in the United Kingdom