Cala Domus
Newhall, Harlow
Cala Domus is the third phase of Newhall, a development of 2800 homes on an 81 hectare site on the outskirts of Harlow.
The landowner is Newhall Ltd, the trust of the Moen family, which previously farmed the land. New Hall is a series of tightly knit phases which aim to reflect densities of traditional local villages.
Each phase is developed in line with an overall masterplan designed by Roger Evans Associates. The vision of Newhall Ltd was to create an architect inspired sustainable community. Phases are unashamedly contemporary in design and Cala Domus, which provides 74 new homes, is no exception.
Designed by PCKO Architects, Cala Domus is pedestrian friendly with an easily navigable scale and layout. Surfaces are shared for pedestrians and cars and planted trees are positioned to obscure traffic views to encourage drivers to slow down.
The architecture is distinctive and colourful, combining glazed balconies, traditional brick and through-colour render with pressed metal panels, welsh slate on straight roofs and standing seam zinc on curved roofs. The building line is varied with a highly visible signature building, Chase Tower, an apartment block which mimics a windmill but replaces blades with photo voltaic panels to generate electricity to light communal parts of the building.
Homes are two and three storey and have more glazing than in typical new build. Sun spaces are provided, which allow maximum light into the properties and increase solar gain to reduce heating bills and wastage.
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