Virido – Latin for ‘becoming green’ – is one of the country’s largest zero carbon communities, and is an innovative joint venture between developers Hill and Cambridge City Council.
Virido is an exemplar development that provides 208 new homes (50% of which will be affordable) and commercial accommodation. The residential accommodation is arranged in a grid of quads surrounding a new park at the heart of the site.
Each quad consists of around 23 homes, ranging from one to three bedroom apartments and family houses. Each home has a private patio garden, separated from the shared garden at the heart of each quad by a moat which also stores and attenuates rainwater.
All of the homes have been designed to achieve Code for Sustainable Homes Level 5. The dwellings will be built using Passivhaus principles with high levels of insulation and airtightness and a mechanical ventilation with heat recovery system.
Key information
- Project name: Virido
- Location: Clay Farm, Cambridge
- Project type: New Build
- Sector: Residential
- No. of dwellings: 208 homes
- Key dates: 2012-2018
Project team
- Architect: Pollard Thomas Edwards Architects
- Client: Cambridge City Council
- Developer: Hill
More information: pollardthomasedwards.co.uk
Photo credits: Pollard Thomas Edwards