Following eight years of planning and on site construction, the residential development Domaine de Beauport – off Hauteville, St. Peter Port, Guernsey – has recently been completed. The largest and most prestigious residential complex that has been constructed in recent years was designed by Robert W. Le Page, MRICS, FCIOB, FCABE, FASI, FBEng, FIPD, developed by Portholme Properties Ltd., and constructed on a complex site, with the dwellings forming a new roofscape towering over St. Peter Port, which is the capital of Guernsey.
Each of the dwellings has been carefully designed so as to enjoy fantastic views over the roofscape of St. Peter Port and the north of the island, with many also having fantastic views of the neighbouring islands, nearby France and the Little Russell, which is the anchorage for a huge number of visiting cruise liners.
The development had to be designed and constructed with traditional features of St. Peter Port. The site, being high over St. Peter Port, was very exposed and had complex contours throughout the site (there being a 9 metre difference in site levels). Design and construction therefore had its challenges.
Foundation design was varied with changing site conditions and steep slopes of the site to contend with. Whilst the dwellings are generally of a traditional construction using blockwork and in situ concrete, beam and block, timber and roofs finished with tiles and slates, due to the dwellings being positioned high over St. Peter Port on a very exposed site, high wind loadings had to be designed for, and this lead to the introduction of wind beams within the external wall constructions.
There is a tall vertical emphasis in the design, and clever detailing was introduced within the external façade, including the incorporation of first floor french windows and clipped balconies. With the careful positioning of the dwellings and layout of the site, clever pinch points have been introduced within the construction, as well as maintaining open views from all dwellings.
The northern most dwelling is five storeys in height and is one of the most prominent of the dwellings when viewed from St. Peter Port Harbour. Within the north-eastern gable large french windows and balconies were introduced to take advantage of the sea and island views.
Services for the development, including foul and surface water drains, gas, water, electric and telecoms services, became complex because of the location of the site. Services were introduced looped through other properties in various areas of St. Peter Port to enable flexibility to be created for the service suppliers in the future.
The residential development is principally four storey dwellings incorporating garages, underground car park, and parking in external car park areas. In addition some flats have been introduced. There is a wide variety in the size of the units, ranging from two, three, four and five bedroom units.
Carefully designed surfacing and landscaped areas have been introduced with interesting planted areas and the use of external finishes. Important pedestrian linkages have been maintained through the site with adjacent properties.
This £10m development designed to a high specification has created some really unique homes with living accommodation generally at first floor level to take advantage of the spectacular views.
Dwellings were constructed under the current Building Regulations. They are well insulated and are heated with a mix of underfloor heating and conventional radiators, with the majority of boilers being oil fired – the oil supply being provided by communal underground oil storage facilities.
The interiors range from fairly traditional to others with modern state of the art minimalistic designs, adding to the interest to suit individual tastes.