The middle-class residential complex "Accordia" was designed by three collaborators: Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, Alison Brooks Architects and Macreanor Lavington. At the same time, the buildings built by each of the workshops differ in planning and formal solutions from the others, creating a bright and varied ensemble on the whole.
Accordia stands out from a series of similar projects with spacious squares and public spaces designed primarily for children and adolescents. These territories were obtained due to the abandonment of individual plots for landscaping, traditional for British dormitory areas: residents positively perceived this innovation, since, according to them, they relieved them of the need to engage in gardening.
The building density is 47 apartments / ha, and the very area where the complex is located is a former industrial zone, which was in the possession of the military department. During the construction of the buildings, various materials were used - natural stone, wood, glass - in different combinations. The project also demonstrates an innovative approach to the problem of private and public areas: courtyards, roof terraces, balconies, gardens open only to residents of the complex make Accordia a single space, from the apartments themselves to footpaths and outside lawns.
The British architectural community approved of the awarding of the Sterling Prize to the complex: they see it as a sign that more attention of architects and specialists in related fields will be given not to "iconic" buildings, but to ordinary, low-budget projects that shape the image of the urban environment. The issue of housing is especially important in this case: the UK exposition at this year's Venice Biennale is dedicated to this very problem, since this country was in one of the last places in Europe in terms of the number of apartments under construction, the size of an average room, and the number of square meters of living space per capita. Perhaps the success of Accordia will draw even more attention to this area of architecture and construction.
Along with the Stirling Prize, several other Royal Institute of British Architects awards have been named: the Oxley Woods cheap prefabricated housing complex by Richard Rogers (Manser's Medal for Best Housing), John Pawson's Sackler Crossing at Kew Botanical Gardens (Stephen Prize Lawrence under £ 1million), the renovation of Old Market Square in Nottingham by Catherine Gustafson (RIBA CABE Award for Best Public Space). Also honored were the Stirling Prize finalists, Denton Corker Marshall's Manchester Center for Civil Justice (Best Green Building) and London's Westminster Academy by Allford Hall Monaghan Morris (Top School).
