The second phase of Chelmsford City Park West promotes urban living and social integration, delivering sustainable new homes at scale without compromising quality. The aim was to engage new funding models and cost-effective build solutions to address the housing shortage in London and the South East. The innovative nature of the EOS pre-engineered system enabled rapid installation. The phased delivery of the steel framing system (SFS) efficiently ensured completion on time and on budget.
EOS recently designed and supplied the infill steel framing system for Chelmsford City Park West – Phase Two, encompassing the redevelopment of the Anglia Ruskin University Central Campus to create a residential and commercial mixed-use scheme. Phase Two comprises 5,320m2 of flexible retail and business space, 386 additional homes and a public square that frames the historic Law and Chancellor buildings.
The residential high-rise scheme offers 203 one-bedroom apartments and 183 two-bedroom apartments, of which an impressive 37% are classified as affordable housing. With a £74 million budget from private and housing association funds, the medium-rise blocks and the fourteen-storey high-rise building provides private homes, social rent, shared ownership and extra care accommodation, facilitating vast programme savings.
DESIGN & VISION
Offering 220 homes per hectare, the concentrated, high-density central Chelmsford development integrates sensitively with its surroundings. The urban quarter comprises a closely woven network of streets, mixed tenure homes and commercial spaces, including restored heritage buildings across a landscaped public realm.
Complemented by local amenities, restaurants and retail and business spaces, the development maximises sale potential along with home quantity on a large city centre plot conveniently located adjacent to the railway station. Nestled in the heart of Chelmsford, the development is strategically located to provide housing that is a commutable distance from London – offering affordable accommodation to those working in the capital.
EOS INVOLVEMENT
EOS designed and supplied the infill steel framing system for two large blocks, which were installed by Conneely and Screedforce. Due to the extensive scale of the development, it was vital for EOS to offsite manufacture the SFS system for easy onsite installation.
EOS worked in close collaboration with all construction partners to develop a system that would meet the exacting project requirements, using balcony returns and windposts to support the strip windows. The system makes excellent use of value engineering, and upon completion, the development achieved a Very Good BREEAM rating and Level Four of Sustainable Homes.
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