Beaufort Court
Design process
Strong teamwork between the client and the building design and construction teams enabled a quality product to be built cheaply - £7.5 million (2003), and quickly - in 15 months. This was facilitated by the PPC 2000 partnering contract, which Peabody used for the first time.
Peabody bought this old school site from the local authority. The number of units in the existing permission was increased so that, with the higher density, housing could be provided at a low enough cost. The local authorities would not allow an extra storey to be built on the apartment block at the end of the site. This block was next to a hotel which was much higher than the housing, but still, the extra storey was not accepted. Tenants from the adjacent estate were consulted on the design. A tenants meeting room is situated by the play area.
The construction process was innovative. For the first time in the UK, the process brought together three off-site fabrication processes into one scheme. With steel load bearing systems, steel panels and prefabricated bathrooms, construction was entirely dry except for ground works. Energy efficiency, and thermal and sound insulation all exceed current standards.
