Although Mikhail Riches‘ catalogue of timber projects dates back to Clay Field in Suffolk in 2009 – built with timber frame, lime-based insulation and shingle cladding – it was their social housing development Goldsmith Street that really consolidated the practice’s agenda to build with low carbon materials such as timber.

The rows of terraced houses on Goldsmith Street are bookended by low-rise flats; image © Tim Crocker.

Trailblazing timber social housing

Completed in 2019 and providing 93 sustainable homes for social rent in the heart of Norwich, Goldsmith Street has become a national exemplar of timber frame housing built at scale. With seven terrace blocks neatly arranged into four rows, the development provides a combination of family-sized houses and low-rise flats – all built to rigorous Passivhaus standards.

As the first new social housing development undertaken by Norwich City Council in 20 years, it was important to the council that the scheme aim for high quality as well as quantity.

The existing city-centre site comprised low-density sheltered housing that no longer met modern standards. Wanting to increase provision of much-needed, good quality homes – that would alleviate fuel poverty as well as housing need – the council ran a RIBA competition with a brief requiring a mixture of houses and flats. They also wanted to see innovative ways to provide public and private amenity space to enrich the lives of inhabitants and foster a sense of community.

Mikhail Riches developed a winning proposal based on a Victorian terraced community.

With tightly arranged but well-proportioned houses, inward-facing back gardens and pedestrian-friendly streets, their design allowed for increased development on the site, while maintaining good spacing between buildings.

From their early design plans, the architects carefully laid out the terraces with a southerly orientation, excellent form factor and sloped roofs that would maximise daylight. By embedding their solar strategy into the masterplan, they were able to adapt their initial design with minor amendments to target full Passivhaus accreditation at the council’s request.

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