Transforming a derelict site into contemporary homes

Balfour Villas - Engineering Services

Previously home to a derelict social club, the Balfour Villas site was transformed into a contemporary terrace of three-story townhouses, feeding into the wider regeneration of the Bristol’s Southville area. From our initial appointment by Urbis, we stayed on the project through a change of ownership to Bristol Developments. We worked collaboratively with Ferguson Mann Architects to deliver the housing scheme, providing civil and structural engineering design services through RIBA stages 2–6, including drainage attenuation and a mixture of cladding types.

Our civil team provided a sustainable urban drainage system to reduce the drainage and water impact of the site in an already heavily built-up area. Our engineers uncovered an unrecorded well below the original site of the social club—perhaps unsurprising given the street’s name, Luckwell Road---posing a threat to the build program. We reacted quickly, conducting an investigation before backfilling it.

Our structural team needed to consider the dense development of this brownfield site and proximity to neighboring properties. We took these potential construction limitations into account during the early design process to reduce disruption to neighbors as the build proceeded.

Close to a busy high street, the site is near a popular residential area for Bristol city center workers. Our transportation team advised on a Section 278 agreement with the local highway authority to offset the impact of increased travel movements on the local community.

Phase One of the project delivered a row of 14 homes, while Phase Two added two bespoke detached houses and a small apartment block, creating 19 homes in total. The houses were clad in a range of finishing materials, the juxtaposition of local stone and reused rubble across the development creating a striking and distinctive design.