Somersbury Court in Almondbury, Huddersfield is believed to be one of only 2 buildings in the world to feature glass that has curves which are both convex and concave, the other being the 7* Burj Al Arab Hotel in Dubai.

Most schemes have straight glass, which is much cheaper. However, developer Conroy Brook wanted to make a real feature out of the full length (up to 11.5m) balconies, that are an integral part of the building’s design. They were particularly adamant about the glass being cast in a curve, with the result that as well as the above, Somersbury Court is now just 1 of 4 developments in the UK to feature curved glass of any kind – one of those being a £100m refit of Peter Jones at Sloane Square in London!

This demonstrates the company’s commitment to quality design, and the importance of architectural and visual aesthetics, which was rewarded by a place in the final of the 2008 Northern Design Awards. Other awards achieved by Conroy Brook include Master Builder of the Year Yorkshire & Trent Region 2008 and the West Yorkshire Built In Quality Awards.

The developers worked with Huddersfield architects Acumen to come up with the design for the 30 apartment scheme. Jeremy Child, Director of Acumen, said: “Great emphasis was placed on the integration between interior and exterior spaces to provide each property with a private external space. This created a continually changing façade with curved glass balconies along the whole length of the building, which compliment the high quality palette of traditional materials synonymous with the Conroy Brook brand.”

The building has been designed to look and feel like a luxury hotel with very high quality fixtures and fittings throughout from natural limestone entrance tiles, designer styled lighting, artwork and specially commissioned photography.

Venture into the apartments themselves and the thought that has gone into the layout and design is evident – from the circular feature windows in the end apartments to the entrance hallways. Kitchens have granite work surfaces and Smeg appliances as standard, plus stylish Italian Compasso D’oro” floor tiles, whilst the bathrooms have Villeroy & Boch sanitaryware and Hans Grohe fittings.

In addition the apartments feature the latest ‘green’, eco-friendly, energy-efficient heating system – the Daikin Altherma air source heat pump system which uses a combination of electricity and renewable energy from the atmosphere.

Externally the visual treat continues with fully landscaped gardens and an imposing sculpted stainless steel water feature.

Father and son Ivan and Richard Conroy run Conroy Brook; Ivan has many years experience building houses in Yorkshire, whilst Richard’s educational background has also played a significant role in all of the company’s developments as he has a masters degree in design and real estate management from Harvard University where he graduated top of his year. He is also a qualified chartered surveyor and has a wealth of property development experience gained from working alongside renowned London commercial developer Sir Stuart Lipton at Stanhope plc.
“My aim is to apply what I’ve learnt at Harvard and Stanhope to continually move our business forward and differentiate us from other developers on the quality that is integral to every home we build. Places have the power to inspire us and transform the way we live – that’s why we place such importance on design and architecture to create homes which are interesting, innovative and of the highest quality.”

Out of the 30 apartments at Somersbury Court, seven have been sold with 23 remaining, priced from £150,000 - £240,000.

Added On: 27th March 2009

 

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