Sixth Avenue 

Sixth Avenue was the first factory-built affordable residential scheme of its kind outside of London. The total programme period from appointment through to handover was only 14 months, with just eight months on site.

Client  Yorkshire Housing
Location  York
Completion  2000
Cost  £1.8m

Services

  • RIBA stages 1-6
  • Architectural design
  • Advice on offsite construction techniques

Awards

  • Civic Trust Awards (Commended)
  • RICS Innovation Award
  • National Homebuilder Design Awards – Best Development
  • Prime Minister's Best Building Award (Shortlisted)
Sixth Avenue
Sixth Avenue
As well as creating low energy homes, the efficiency of modular construction allowed us to design 24 new homes with space standards around 10% greater than the norm, which were handed over with zero defects.

The bold articulation of the roof overhang expresses the idea of the roof as a sheltering element. Western red cedar was used to add warmth and to humanise the manufactured modules. The modular joints are clearly articulated to honestly express the form of construction.

Modular construction has less thermal mass than traditional buildings, and can overheat in summer, so great care was taken to ensure there was adequate cross ventilation, with balconies and roof overhang for solar shading.

Factory-built construction resulted in higher build quality as it is easier, for example, to make airtight enclosures, contributing to both comfort and lower energy consumption.