2. The Competition
This ideas competition asks entrants to explore the character
of Cambridge by designing a house type for a new
development on the edge of the City.
The character of Cambridge’s urban fabric has been influenced
over time by the construction of a variety of private dwellings;
medieval core, Georgian town houses, Victorian workers’
cottages through to pre/post war estates, 1960’s blocks and
contemporary infill and fringe developments. Each area has its
own character - which together with the places for work, study,
leisure and culture - contributes to the essence of the city.
Historically, the material language of Cambridge has been
characterised by locally sourced Cambridge buff brick and
creamy oolitic Ketton limestone – with variations and additions
to this basic palette resulting in a diverse richness of detail
across the spectrum of buildings and streetscapes.
We are asking people who understand the essence of
Cambridge to provide ideas for the design of a single dwelling
- focusing on the external character, detail, fabrication and
materiality of the Wing Development. What should the essence
of this new place be – and how will it be manifest in the fabric
and articulation of the built environment?
Context
Marshall of Cambridge, a family owned business established
in 1909 by David Marshall, is one of the largest privately owned
companies in the world. Marshall remains a family business,
but now operates worldwide in the fields of aerospace, military
land systems, fleet management and automotive sales with an
annual turnover in excess of £1 billion a year. The Company
has a history of providing employment and skills in engineering
and manufacturing within the city – and is now contributing to
Cambridge through the creation of a new urban village in the
east of the city.
Wing is a very personal project for the family and Company,
essentially becoming Marshall’s back garden for many years
to come. How it looks, how it feels to walk through, how
people live and work there is extremely important. There is a
strong commitment from Marshall to remain involved in Wing,
to create a real community with a spirit attuned to its values of
customer service, integrity and fairness, innovation and
creativity, and people being at the heart of success. There is a
firm intent for Marshall to remain involved in the long term
stewardship of the development.
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3. WingMarshall owns 150 acres of land, to the North of Cambridge
International Airport – the heart of Marshall operations in the
city - and, with the aid of the local community, has developed
a Masterplan for the site as part of the strategic growth of
Cambridge. This new urban settlement, named Wing, will
include 1,200 to 1,300 new homes, 22ha open spaces and
playing fields, a commercial hub, a new primary school,
community facilities and supermarket. Submission of an
outline planning application is expected later this year.
Further information can be found at: www.wingcambridge.co.uk
The vision for Wing is to create a balanced community which
respects and enhances its surroundings, while complementing
Cambridge’s distinctive heritage and taking inspiration from
contemporary lifestyles and technology. The setting combines
town and country, offering an urban feel on the fringe of
Cambridge, but with sustainable access into the city centre,
open spaces and the wider countryside. Nearby Cambridge
International Airport and Marshall Aerospace businesses will
inspire an aeronautical theme within the surrounding
environment and community.
A key value for Wing will be environmental sustainability and
energy efficiency. The development will look to reduce carbon
emissions 25-60% beyond specified building regulations.
Innovative, forward-thinking solutions and use of emerging
technology will be encouraged at every level and stage of the
project, in addition to the use of local materials wherever
possible and a Fabric First approach.
An early appointment to Wing’s design team has been Lead
Artist Matthew Lane Sanderson. With help from an appointed
Public Art Steering Group and a number of projects from other
artists, Marshall is ensuring Public Art is woven into the fabric
of Wing through every stage of its progression.
Marshall is enormously proud of its Cambridge heritage and
continuing links with the local community. Wing is an
opportunity for Marshall to instil the family and company
values and ethos into a high quality development which will
enhance Cambridge and the surrounding communities,
creating a place where people will be proud to work and live
for future generations.
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4. Competition Format
Masterplan The registration and submission period runs from the 20th
September to the 22nd November 2013. In this period,
entrants must register online to receive a unique registration
code; they will then need to submit a digital and hard copy of
their work.
Following the submission deadline, there will be a judging
period, private reception and public exhibition. This will begin
on the 27th November in the Marshall Parts Building, with
entries being anonymously judged using the unique
registration codes, from 3-5:30pm. Later that evening there will
be a reception exclusively for entrants and competition
associates from 6:30-8:00pm, during which the prizes will be
formally presented. Entries will stay on display, allowing the
public to view and vote for their separate prize winner until the
afternoon of Saturday 30th November. The public prize winner
will be revealed on the 2nd December. All entries will be
published in an A4 booklet following the exhibition.
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5. Submission Requirements
Digital and physical submissions may be up to two boards per
dwelling design which must be A3 size with all images at
300dpi +. Each individual panel must have the entrant’s unique
ID code on the back with no other obvious identification. When
submitting a digital copy, entrants must name the file after their
unique ID code.
Each entry should detail a design for one of the following six
house types:
1) Mews house: 2 bedroom, 2 storey 83-87.5sqm GIA
(7.5-9.5m frontage)
2) Mews house: 3 bedroom, 2 storey 106-111sqm GIA
(8-10m frontage including an integral car port)
3) Town house: 3 bedroom, 3 storey 113-118sqm GIA,
including an integral car port ( 8-9m frontage)
Upon registration, applicants will be allocated a unique ID
code, which should appear on all work, to maintain anonymity
throughout the judging process. Depending on status entrants
may be required to provide a non-refundable entry fee of £50.
Entrants will then be given access to additional plans and
information as well as access to the submissions section of
the website.
Eligibility
The competition is open to architectural students, graduates
or professionals - either working individually, or as a group or
practice - with an interest in the character and development of
Cambridge. Entrants must provide a brief 100 word statement
on their personal relationship with Cambridge as part of
registration. This may subsequently be used in conjunction
with the submissions in the A4 booklet.
Registrationvia www.drawingcambridge.co.uk
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6. Where is It?
The new urban village - 4km east
of Cambridge city centre - will
expand the eastern fringe of the
city on Marshall owned land north
of Newmarket Road, close to Fen
Ditton and East Barnwell. Wing
will be a sustainable, mixed use
community which encapsulates
aspects of both city living and
access to the countryside. Wing
will maintain strong ties to the
immediate locality, allowing
integration of new and existing
communities on the eastern
gateway into the city.
4) Semi detached house: 3 bedroom, 2 storey 110-115.5sq GIA
(7.5-9m frontage)
5) Semi detached house: 4 bedroom, 3 storey 125-131.25sqm GIA
(10-12m plot width including on plot parking)
6) Large detached house: 4 bedroom, 3 storey 142-150sqm GIA
Please see the ‘House Type Locations Map’ for a greater understanding
of each type’s surrounding context and layout. All designs should be in
line with or above the space standards set out in the Mayor of London's,
“London Housing Design Guide” – which are reflected in the space
standards set out in Cambridge City Council's Draft “Cambridge Local
Plan 2014”, Policy 50.
Designs of up to two A3 pages per entry should consider the building’s
physical elevation and layout plans in addition to the vision and feel of the
space, including consideration of materials and design features. Ingenious
cycle storage, parking solutions, bin storage and other innovative ideas
should be included, as well as regard to external private space and the
relationship between the dwelling and street frontage. At least two car
parking spaces per house should be accommodated for. Additionally,
entries should include two cycle spaces for the first bedroom, and one
additional space per extra bedroom.
Successful entries will illustrate an approach to environmental
sustainability in line with level four of The Code for Sustainable Homes and
consider Lifetime Homes Criteria. Submissions will also benefit from
considering a fabric first approach in addition to the use of locally sourced
materials where possible. Specific information on poster orientations, font
sizes and line width can be found in the submission template PDF. This
shows two approximate layout options that will reproduce successfully in
the A4 booklet.
Physical submissions should be delivered to: Marshall of Cambridge
(Airport Properties) Ltd, The Control Building, Newmarket Road, CB5 8RX
between 9am-5pm, Monday to Friday.
the Site
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7. What is next to it?
The site surroundings comprise a mixture of built environment
and open spaces. Newmarket Road forms the southern
boundary and primary access, beyond which stretches
Cambridge International Airport. To the west, residential
properties create an immediate boundary to the site with the
River Cam just over half a mile further on. The airport contains
large areas of flat open grassland and hangar buildings, next to
further Marshall Aerospace and Defence buildings.
To the north there is a dismantled railway line and surrounding
tree belt, with agricultural land leading to Fen Ditton village and
Conservation Area beyond. The east of the site wraps around the
Newmarket Road Park and Ride site before opening out into
further agricultural fields, eventually reaching the A14 bypass.
Fulbourn Fen and Teversham Fen are located to the south-east
of the site. They form part of a subtle ‘green finger’ valley which
runs from the River Cam, through Coldham’s Common and the
airport to Teversham, out into the surrounding countryside.
This narrow corridor of low lying fen also spreads out into the
flat fens to the north and east of the city between Teversham
and Great Wilbraham, adjacent to the site.
Archaeology
Archaeological studies have produced evidence of late Iron
Age and early Roman settlement on the eastern section of the
site, largely focused around the footprint of the Park and Ride
site, highlighting the area’s rich history. An extensive planned
enclosure system dating from the late Iron Age period was
discovered in addition to 11 early Roman kilns, evidence of
timber-built structures and associated industrial and
settlement related features, such as pits and postholes.
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8. >>
In line with its varied urban and rural surroundings, Wing will combine a number of complementary
character areas, each with distinctive streets, lanes and courtyards and different groupings of buildings.
Newmarket Road Boulevard
The landscape will be more formal in character towards Newmarket Road and the City, becoming more
relaxed and informal towards the north and east where the site meets the rural edge.
Newmarket Road Boulevard will be a leafy, two-tiered avenue, lined with four-storey apartment blocks
along the north side, set back from road. The scale of the buildings lining the boulevard will create a
sense of enclosure and frontage for Wing, and will provide south-facing apartments, some of which will
have unrivalled views across the airport to Cherry Hinton and the Gog Magog Hills in the distance.
The Central Urban Quarter
This area will have a more urban feel and will be characterised by a formal grid of streets lined with a
variety of housing types, typically three-storey terraced homes. The urban blocks created by these streets
will be further subdivided by pedestrian priority lanes, lined with smaller scaled mews houses. Semi
private courtyards will provide ample space for parking, shared gardens and allotments.
At the centre of this neighbourhood is Beta Square, a more formal urban park providing a landmark open
space at the junction of the important east-west route between Market Square and the Fison Road
estate, and the north to south route of Austin Street. The square will be lined with four-storey appropriately
scaled apartment blocks on three sides, parking for which could be provided beneath the space.
Character
9. >>
The Crescent and Circus
This character area at the centre of the northern neighbourhood will be defined by The Crescent, a
curved tree lined avenue with two and three-storey semi-detached homes of various sizes along its
length, most of which will have on site parking. The Crescent will be directly connected to the two
principal streets: Austin Street in the west and Morley Street in the east. Two smaller mews blocks and
the small landmark circus, with typically two-storey homes at its heart, will complete this area.
Market Square
The Market Square will be located at the geographical centre of the new settlement. The main
community facilities will be clustered around the square and along Morley Street, down to the
Newmarket Road Boulevard. This will include the primary school and nursery, community hall, local
food store and other shops. In addition, there will be new homes, including apartments located above
the shops, and a variety of terraced housing, typically three storey in height, along Morley Street and
around the perimeter of the school.
Gregory Park
This grand linear park will unite the southern and northern residential neighbourhoods. Lining its edges
on either side will be three storey terraced homes (some with additional accommodation in the roof
space). The new homes will be of a scale appropriate to the park and similar to those houses found
along Brookside in the centre of Cambridge. There will be smaller homes in mews and courtyards
behind these terraces, where most of the parking will be hidden from view. This park will be the focus
of outdoor recreation activity and will have a series of focal points and vistas along its length.
10. There will be up to 19 prizes in total, a potential of three for each of the six categories, and a public choice award.
Gold in category £1,000
Silver in category £750
Bronze in category £500
Public Choice Prize £1,000 and a flight for two over Cambridge
The main competition prizes are to be judged by a select panel of various backgrounds, disciplines and relationships with Wing,
Cambridge and Architecture. There will also be an award which is chosen exclusively by the public during the exhibition.
So that anonymity during judging can be maintained, it is requested that all work is free from any logos or insignia which may reveal
the identity or background of entrants.
The natural geography of the site possesses a number of
environmental land features which will be considered during the
site’s development. This approach to design is crucial to create
and maintain a holistic feel to Wing and its surroundings.
The site lies within two defined character areas, the Chalklands
and the Fenlands. The former comprises historic Roman and
Anglo-Saxon earthworks interlinked with modern roads and
developments, in addition to low lying cereal fields contrasting with
characteristic tree copses in the open landscape. The fenlands are
typically low-lying, with a haphazard pattern of settlement and tree
cover amongst the expansive agricultural landscape.
A majority of the site boundary comprises a semi-mature tree belt
arching around the northern boundary back down towards
Newmarket Road. This natural buffer will create a green periphery
to the area.
Irrigation ditches amongst the site reflect Wing’s wider Fenland
setting, giving an insight into the traditional ways that the low-lying,
productive land was managed in previous centuries.
Inspired by the Fenland landscape, a network of swales and ponds
are woven through the Masterplan creating a sustainable urban
drainage system for water attenuation and storage. The planting
will be designed for rich biodiversity and wildlife value.
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Judging and PrizesLand Features
Judging Panel
Professor Marcial Echenique: Panel Chairman – Urban Design and Planning Expert
Robert Marshall – Marshall Group Chief Executive
Ingrid Schröder - Cambridge University Department of Architecture Representative
Robin Pellew – Cambridge Past Present and Future Chairman
Richard Johnson - Cambridge City Councillor
Joan Whitehead - Cambridgeshire County Councillor
Vince Farrar – Fen Ditton Parish Council Chairman
Queries
There is a dedicated section of the
website for the anonymous
submission of competition related
questions or concerns. These may
subsequently be published for the
benefit of all entrants. Please refrain
from emailing queries directly.
11. The Marshall Group is not liable for lost, damaged, misdirected or late entries. The decisions of the judging panel are based on their
own independent opinions and in no way purely reflect the views of Marshall representatives.
By taking part in this ideas competition entrants agree submissions can be published in a display book following the event. Winning
ideas may be used to illustrate our outline planning application and may also be used in creating the Design guide for the site. To
this end, Marshall will have the right to share the copyright with the creator, however they will also acknowledge all submissions and
authorship. For any additional use we will seek permission from the creator.
Although no commissions or contracts are guaranteed, it is our strong intention to engage with the award winning
architects/designers in some further capacity on Wing.
We aim to run this competition every two years to ensure Wing is always evolving with environmental, social and technological
developments and we are aware of all architectural talent at the time.
Prize giving is at the judge’s discretion.
Registration & entry period 20th Sep – 22nd November 2013
Judging period 3-5:30pm 27th November 2013
Reception & prize giving ceremony for entrants and associates 6:30 – 8pm 27th November 2013
Public exhibition 28th-30th November 2013
Announcement of public choice award 2nd December 2013
Summary of Requirements
Registration is via www.drawingcambridge.co.uk. Entrants will then receive a unique ID code to be included on all work and access to additional
plans and information. Entrants must submit a digital copy of work online using their login details and a physical copy of work to:
Marshall of Cambridge (Airport Properties) Ltd
The Control Building
Newmarket Road
Cambridge CB5 8RX
by 5pm on the 22nd November 2013.
Please note physical submissions can only be received between 9am to 5:30pm in person. Postal or carrier deliveries will be accepted outside
of working hours but must be delivered to the security building (Gate A) at the entrance to the airport.
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DisclaimerSchedule
