David Chipperfield Architects is designing two perpendicular buildings: a residential building and an office building, which together define a central garden. With a real fruit orchard in that central courtyard, the future residents and visitors of Orchard will have a unique slice of life and nature right on their doorstep.

Facts & figures

7 floors
59 energy-efficient flats with one to three bedrooms
4 commercial spaces on the ground floor
winter gardens on both sides of the building
fruit orchard in the inner garden with 60 fruit trees

Purged sustainability

Orchard's two buildings share a common architectural and spatial character defined by their elongated orthogonal forms, hybrid wood and concrete structures and continuous winter gardens along their long facades.

These decisions were largely driven by a number of ecological considerations:

winter gardens act as buffer spaces that contribute to a comfortable indoor climate all year round
wood reduces the stored carbon of the structure
the low depth of the buildings maximises natural light and cross ventilation
the winter gardens give life to the area through the variety of activities visible there
the office building is designed for future flexibility, with each floor easily subdivided
a central circulation core opens up to a winter garden gallery that connects the areas both physically and socially, creating an environment that follows the light and conditions of the changing seasons.

There are two things I always emphasise: quality of life for residents and low environmental impact. Often these go hand in hand.

David Chipperfield

Sustainable detailing

Particular to detailing is the use of the CREE system, an innovative, modular prefabricated building system that combines sustainability and efficiency by using hybrid structures of wooden CLT elements for floors and walls and concrete cores and structural elements.

In addition, special attention has been paid to the detailing of the predominantly wooden exterior joinery, with carefully placed stem frames ensuring a high-quality and durable finish for the entire project.

These auxiliary structures are assembled in the shell to form an accurate and stable base for the final joinery. The standing frame ensures that the external joinery can be easily and correctly installed later, with the correct dimensions and alignment. This makes installation more efficient and ensures better sealing and insulation, contributing to the sustainability and energy performance of the building.