The Village, Watergate Bay

The aim with this project was to push the boundaries in environmental and sustainable design. The approach taken was to produce south-facing terraces of earth-sheltered, two storey dwellings with green roofs and large terraces. The majority of the glazing was placed on the south elevation to make best use of the winter sun and sea views.

The dwellings benefit from sustainable low-tech solutions such as passive solar gain, high levels of insulation, rainwater collection and exhaust air heat pumps. The green roofs help to blend the development into the landscape, improve biodiversity, reduce the speed of rainwater run-off and provide attractive outlooks for the residents.

Externally the dwellings use locally sourced timber cladding and lime render to create a modern 'beach hut' aesthetic. Internally, care has been taken to use as many natural products as possible, such as the recycled newspaper insulation and the wood wool sheathing and insulation boards. This combined with the ventilation system and natural daylighting all help to create healthy internal environments.

As part of the continued improvements to The Watergate Bay Hotel, the original Coach House was also redeveloped, offering family & group accommodation linked to the main hotel by an elevated walkway. The Coach House was designed to be a more traditional Cornish aesthetic to blend in with the original hotel building which was originally constructed in the early part of the 20th Century as a residency for the RAF operating out of the nearby Newquay Aerodrome.

Bob acted as the design lead alongside Architect Dale Beeson (now an ADG Director) - the Village's complicated planning process led to a successful approval and the development was completed in three separate phases - the Coach House was completed between Phase 1 and 2 of the Village.