16th May 2024 – Cobham Bowers wins RIBA South East Building of the Year!

Cobham Bowers, the later living development in Surrey has been named as RIBA’s South East Building of the Year 2024!

Judges said they were impressed with how the “buzzy” 53-home Cobham Bowers scheme for developer Pegasus gave the impression of being on a domestic scale despite being quite large.

“The quality of the detailing and the careful handling of materials, from the brickwork through to the rainwater downpipes and the integration of the gardens, are worthy of praise,” the jury panel said.

RIBA South East Award winners will now be considered for a RIBA National Award, which will be announced on 11 July. 

The shortlist for the RIBA Stirling Prize for the best building of the year will be drawn from the RIBA National Award-winning projects later in the year.

Pegasus Cobham Bowers was designed by Coffey Architects and provides 53 one, two and three bed retirement properties and comprises of two nearly identical apartment blocks which are linked by a communal pavilion.

UBU were appointed by Pegasus, part of the Lifestory group, to deliver the externals for this new 60+ development in Cobham, Surrey.  The site used to be a derelict 1980s commercial office building formally known as The Glashaus.

Working with Coffey architects we developed a number of key entrance and garden spaces, with a new communal walled garden which is framed through a new glass pavilion at the heart of the scheme.

The garden boasts an illuminated entrance pavilion, creating an inviting threshold for residents and guests while distinguishing itself from the separate, private residences.

Living spaces were integrated with extensive glazing, balconies and terraces to harness natural light, while also seeking to encourage visual connections with the locality. 

The design and landscaping brief aimed to maximise views to the historic Painshill Park and adjacent Bowling Green, to mirror the surrounding landscape within the site and provide a sense of security and ownership with the walled garden.

Cobham Bowers has been built for individuals and couples transitioning from their family homes to a later living community. With this in mind, the development aims to instil the sense of community associated with English villages, like Cobham itself, twinning this with the appeal of village gardens.