We are delighted to receive planning permission for new flagship office accommodation and flexible exhibition space for Homes England’s regional and Northstowe project teams. The new building is located in front of the disused Oakington Barracks, part of the former RAF Oakington site where extensive archaeological investigations have recently revealed centuries of human habitation with evidence of Bronze Age, Roman and Medieval structures and field enclosures.
Set within the emerging Northstowe masterplan the building is a temporary structure which aims to showcase the design approach which will be explored across the wider Northstowe development. Modern methods of construction - modular and prefabricated - will be deployed to improve the quality and speed of construction as well as to reduce waste. High quality materials for a highly contextual architectural expression will be used – the proposed ‘woven’ profiled timber façade and willow soffit to the canopy are both references to the history and tradition of coppicing and weaving in Cambridgeshire. The timber façade will be stained black whilst the backing panels will be painted black and terracotta red – both colours refer to black Cambridgeshire barns and the abundant terracotta fragments found across the site with Roman and North African origins. Healthy lifestyle strategies and sustainability will also be promoted through the provision of generous cycle storage, sheltered external working space and car charging points.
As the surrounding landscape will be in a state of change over the next ten years the design aims to create a sense of enclosure and protection from the harsh Fenland winds - the building is U-shaped in plan creating an open sided courtyard with a central social space. The two wings to either side of the building provide space for a flexible exhibition space, a mixture of formal and informal work space and meeting rooms. They will be connected by a glazed double height entrance ‘atria‘ complete with breakout and social spaces as well as the sculptural central service core (integrating signage, a reception seating booth, staircase, lift, social kitchen, bathrooms and lockers). A lightweight canopy will provide shelter to the courtyard and first floor deck extending their seasonal use and providing shading. The steelwork of the canopy will be painted a deep red colour – a reference to terracotta fragments found across the site – and the canopy soffit will be of framed woven willow - an opportunity to engage with the local craftsmen and cottage industries promoting the tradition of coppicing and weaving in Cambridgeshire.
