Meadowcroft Apartments
A development for the new era, defined by pure uncompromised style. Refreshingly contemporary, designed to exacting standards and providing the very best in scale and specification. Meadowcroft redefines the notion of Cambridge living.
Contemporary living at its most stylish, Meadowcroft apartments display a notable architectural presence and a rare sense of space and light
THE VISION
Rich in architectural tradition, Cambridge has long enjoyed an enviable reputation for varied and often unusual buildings — from the magnificent facades of its ancient colleges to the striking simplicity found in the science park — and it is with this tradition in mind that Meadowcroft was conceived.
It was recognised early on that a design of the highest quality was required for this sensitive urban site, to create diverse residential accommodation that fully expresses the dynamics of a thriving city. Accordingly an architectural competition was held resulting in Proctor & Matthews' work being judged as best encapsulating this vision.
Formed in 1988 with numerous awards behind them and cited as one of London's "leading young architectural practices", they demonstrated their ability to embrace the latest ideas in construction, social and technical innovation and environmental sustainability required for Meadowcroft. Meadowcroft attracted attention from former Deputy PM John Prescot, Peter Studdert Chief Planner for Cambridge City, featured in Cambridge Architecture #49 and won a commendation in the category "Best Housing Project of the Year" at the National Home-Builder Design Awards 2003
It will be obvious even to the casual visitor that this is a building of distinction that exudes quality in every last detail.
The seventeen apartments are arranged around a series of enclosed urban courtyards, the focus of which utilises a lower level to establish an introverted oasis at the heart of the development. The central courtyard traps south light and is designed to accommodate simple geometric landscape structures including an ornamental reflecting pool, and the majority of living spaces are configured to overlook this courtyard.
A combination of glazing, screens, balconies and loggia elements reflect the spacious flexible accommodation designed within the plan arrangement. The
apartments have been designed to enhance lifestyles for 21st Century living with maximum glazing promoting a sense of light and space.
In addressing the former Chapel part of the site fronting Church Street it was considered wholly appropriate to continue the theme of the existing street scene with its traditional terrace houses built over the last two centuries. The houses were designed as a modern interpretation of the Georgian houses opposite, using traditional materials sympathetic to the adjoining buildings and arranged allowing the character to elegantly unfold and curve along the street.
The elegant houses complement the streetscape with fine detailing and traditional materials.
THE DEVELOPMENT
21 properties in total. The development consists of a main block of 17 apartments, built in a contemporary style,
together with a terrace of just 4 houses built in the Georgian style.
TENURE: 999 years leasehold interest.
GROUND RENT: £200 pa linked to RPI.
MANAGEMENT: The development was collectively enfranchised by the Leaseholders, forming Meadowcroft (Cambridge) Freehold Limited, as the Freeholder, who have appointed Encore Estates as property management agent.
An ideal place to live, Meadowcroft lies on the edge of the Chesterton conservation area - you could not choose a finer location to make your Cambridge home.
SECURITY
Meadowcroft has 24 hour security over the common
parts covered by CCTV cameras (with recording facilities)
at entrance gate, each common entrance to apartments
and over garden area.
Each apartment is provided with an IP video and audio entry phone
linked to their phone number, providing access via facial recognition, PIN entry, key fobs, or a mobile app,linked to points at entrance doors
and entrance gates. Vehicle entrance gate also remote, controlled and motorised. Pedestrian pass gate has remote control locking.
Houses benefit from wiring for intruder alarm system and audio entry phone linked to entrance gate only.
PARKING
Each property is allocated a parking space and separate
provision is made for visitor parking for apartments and
houses.
REFUSE
A bin store is located next to the car park. It is the
responsibility of residents to move refuse to the bin store.
MAIL
The apartments have post boxes located at the entrance
doors to the apartment block which are accessed by
residents internally.
UTILITIES
Electricity meters are located in the landlords store for the
apartments and under stair cupboard in the houses. Water
meters located in the ground outside block entrance doors
and house front doors. Gas is provided to houses only and
meter is outside front doors at low level.
TV/TELEPHONE
Telephone points, satellite and combined terrestrial TV/FM
points are installed in reception rooms and bedrooms 1 & 2.
TERRACES & BALCONIES
They are demised to the individual apartments for their sole use.
FLOORS
Receptions, Hallways and Kitchens to Apartments:
Junkers 14mm thick beech Harmony solid timber wood
strip. Bedroom carpets with Broadloom 80/20 wool mix on
underlay. Bathrooms, En-suites & Cloakrooms: ceramic
tile. Apartment Block Entrance Hall: ground floor to have
stone effect ceramic tiles with carpet to stairs and
upper landings.
Houses: reception, hallway and Bedrooms; carpet with
Broadloom 80/20 wool mix on underlay.
Kitchens, Bathrooms and En-suites: ceramic tile.
WALL TILING
Bathrooms: 600mm high mosaic tiling around bath.
Full height mosaic tiling to wall with WHB/WC with inset
mirror above.
En-suites: full height mosaic tiling to shower and wall with
WHB/WC with inset mirror above.
Cloakrooms: ceramic tile to WHB splash-back.
BATHROOMS & EN-SUITES
Apartments sanitary-ware comprising:
Trevi Calista showers with resin stone shower trays and curved glass screen.
WHB and WC are Ideal Standard Purity range with Domi Solo single lever mono-bloc mixer tap ware and chrome-plated accessories.
Houses sanitary-ware comprising:
Trevi Calista showers with resin stone shower trays and glass screen.
WHB and WC are Ideal Standard Revue range with with Kingston tap ware.
Baths to be Purity cast acrylic with Kingston bath and body
spray mixer tap and chrome-plated accessories.
WARDROBES
Fitted wardrobes with chrome/brass plated hanging rails,
shelf and internal fluorescent lighting are provided
ELECTRICS
Apartments: Compact inset down lighters to reception,
kitchens, hallways and bathrooms & en-suites. Bedrooms
to have central pendant fitting double switched from bed
and door position. Reception and bedroom 1 have 5
amp lighting circuit. Kitchen cupboards have under unit
lighting. Light switches are chrome plated. Socket outlets
are chrome plated. Bathroom lights and fans switched from
adjacent room/hall. Extractor fans and cooker hoods linked
to apartment duct to discharge through outside wall. Stairs
and hallways within apartment block common parts have
wall uplighters with necessary emergency fittings. Lights
controlled via timer switches. Emergency lights are
photocell controlled to be on during darkness to give
background illumination.
Houses: as apartments except upper floor landings
have pendant light fittings and all light switches in brass.
External light by front and back door, all properties have
mains feed. Interlinked mains fed smoke alarms with
battery back up.
HEATING/WATER
Apartments are heated via electric under-floor system with
twin circuits in principle rooms. Bathrooms and en-suites
have electric heated chrome plated ladder type towel rail.
Hot water provided via unvented direct heated OSO
250 litre hot water storage tank with dual immersion elements.
Houses: heating and hot water provided with condensing
gas fired balanced flue boiler with LPHW system to wet
radiator system and hot water tank 210 litre OSO with
immersion backup. Radiators to be pressed steel flat panel
type and bathrooms to have chrome/white ladder type
heated towel rails.
All property’s systems controlled via central programmer
with all hot and cold water systems pressurised from mains.
DECORATIONS
Apartments: finished in white emulsion throughout, except
architrave and skirting finished in white eggshell.
Houses: finished in off-white emulsion paint throughout,
except skirting, architrave and doors in white eggshell finish.
KITCHENS
Units are built and designed by Pepper Kitchens in a
contemporary style with laminate faced doors with satin
nickel handles and under unit lighting. Counter tops and
up-stands in Italian polished stone. Fully integrated AEG
appliances comprise: ceramic hob, glass extractor hood with
brushed stainless steel flue over cooker, brushed stainless
stee! faced microwave and double oven and grill, full height
fridge freezer, inset stainless steel sink and a half with
chrome plated single lever mono-bloc mixer tap and mobile drainer.
Integrated dishwasher and washer/dryer, and integral waste bin.
Houses: as above with the exception of free standing
fridge freezer, and gas hob.
DOORS
Apartments: doors in Cherry veneer with matching
moulding to entrance door with Cherry frame and
architrave. Internal doors have painted softwood frame
and architrave. Store/cylinder cupboard doors painted ply
faced. Ironmongery polished chrome lever handles
and latch. Entrance doors have spy hole, door pull,
dead-locking latch and number. Skirting mounted
door-stops provided where appropriate.
Houses: front doors in
hardwood, panelled and painted white with solid core
pressed four panel painted internal doors. Skirting is
150mm high Torus with matching architraves. Ironmongery
polished brass with turned knobs.
CEILINGS
White emulsion painted throughout.
Houses: plaster coving to all rooms except bathrooms
and mansard rooms, with enhanced coving to reception
and downstairs hallway.
STRUCTURE & FABRIC
Apartments: load bearing masonry walls and steel framing
supporting 175mm thick beam and block pre-cast
concrete floors. Roof structure in timber joists with
intermediate steel beams finished with single layer PVC
membrane Trocal laid on ply/metal decking.
External wall constructed with an inner leaf of 140mm thick
insulating concrete blockwork with 40mm closed cell foam
board insulation and 60mm cavity, stack bonded
brickwork, 250mm thick gabions tied to outer leaf of
100mm _ blockwork, tile brick external leaf and natural
finished horizontal cedar cladding fixed through breather
membrane. Windows to be softwood with micro-porous
paint finish with sealed double glazed units. Where shown
windows, have external cedar louvres. Where shown
windows, have opaque infill panel to detail.
Houses: ground floor beam and block, upper floors
timber joists. Roof is cut timber and steel, mansard roof
clad in plain tiles with central flat section, central
parapet has cast stone coping with gutter behind to falls.
External walls are load bearing with an inner skin of
140mm thick insulating concrete blocks, 100mm cavity
with 40mm closed cell foam insulation and an outer skin of
Yellow Buff facing bricks. Rainwater goods are black PVE,
windows are white painted double glazed with dual sash
and tilt action for cleaning, window sills are cast stone
with cream gauged flat arched heads. Front doors have
arched head with fanlight.
Internal masonry walls are dry lined and other partitions
70mm metal stud faced both sides with 12.5 mm
plasterboard with acoustic insulation between studs. Stairs
are painted timber.
LOCATION
The location is first class with the M11 motorway, A1, A11,
A14 trunk roads providing rapid access to London, the
Midlands, the North and coastal ports. The mainline rail
service brings you into London King’s Cross or Liverpool
Street within an hour. Stansted airport is less than 30
minutes away via the M11 and both Heathrow and Gatwick
can be reached in around 90 minutes.
Cambridge is a city of changing vistas, with narrow alleys
that suddenly open into wide dignified courtyards, bustling
streets alongside venerable colleges. Despite it’s fame and
the magnificence of its buildings, the centre of Cambridge is
quite small, with all the charm of an ancient market town.
The city manages to combine its role as an historic city with
a world-renowned University and an internationally
acknowledged centre of excellence for technology and science.
Life in Cambridge is cosmopolitan, reflecting the City's international reputation.
The atmosphere and excitement that Cambridge offers includes a large number of museums, theatres and art galleries. Famous landmarks abound, including the King's College Chapel and the Bridge of Sighs. The nearby University Botanic Garden and Christ's Pieces are just two of the areas of natural beauty and off some of the most pleasant walks within Cambridge.
