Europan 8: Milton Keynes
The site
Milton Keynes is a planned new town built by the government in the 1960 and 70s to relieve the housing demand in the South East of England. This demand for more homes has continued, with Milton Keynes set to expand to 400,000 inhabitants by 2016. To structure this growth, the town’s masterplan focuses on two areas - the intensification of the city centre and the creation of two new residential districts on the outskirts. The site at Bradwell Common is adjacent to the city centre, and has the potential to become an architectural prototype for these new urban developments.
Bradwell Common is an existing residential district next to the northern edge of the city centre, occupying an open, sloping site that is overlooked on the north and east sides by detached housing. Although connected to the city by an existing footbridge that spans over the high-speed A509 road, it feels separated from the centre. The challenge for the study area is to re-appraise this condition, investigating how these residential districts can connect to the city centre, and how the wider area could be diversified in the future to include commercial, office, or leisure facilities. The area is served by a number of local shops, restaurants, schools and a community centre.
The brief
Competitors were asked to create inventive housing solutions that challenged the existing surroundings and investigated issues of density, adaptability and massing. Although the project site is designated for housing, entrants were asked to think about how the housing units could be converted to accommodate other retail or commercial functions in the future.
The brief also called for one car parking space to be provided per dwelling, and asked that competitors propose ways of integrating car parking into the development to ensure that cars would not visually dominate the built form, landscape or public realm. Competitors were also urged to consider how environmental concerns, technology and building products could positively affect the design and implementation of new housing at Bradwell Common.
