The Baylight Fellowship -
Poundbury

Escape the office with a day-long visit on Friday 14 June – in the company of architectural historians and critics – exploring the unique residential development of Poundbury, an urban extension to the Dorset county town of Dorchester.

Poundbury is a multi-decade ongoing development built on Duchy of Cornwall land in accordance with the principles of architecture and urban planning as advocated by King Charles III in his 1989 book ‘A Vision of Britain’.

Poundbury was envisaged as an integrated rather than zoned development, consciously designed to challenge a number of the town planning trends and policies of the late 20th century.

Featuring historically-inspired buildings by Leon Krier, Ben Pentreath, ADAM Architecture, Calderpeel and others – Poundbury set out to counter the growing trend of isolated housing estates and shopping centres far from places of work and leisure, forcing ever greater reliance on the car.

Critically evaluating the successes and shortcomings of Poundbury at a moment when the UK faces an intense need for ambitious new live and work settlements, this day out as part of the Baylight Fellowship from the Academy of British Housing will include:

Tour of Poundbury with architectural historian Matthew Lloyd Roberts
Group discussion over lunch
Walking tour crit focussing on placemaking and sustainable urbanism with guest speaker Ross Sharpe of Cirencester-based Yiangou Architects
Tickets £125 / £85 including 08.35am train from London Waterloo, returning to Waterloo at 19.51pm.
Please get in touch for tickets if arriving from outside of London.

Accredited by Open City, the charity behind the acclaimed Open House Festival which has championed special properties across 50 countries for more than three decades, the Academy of British Housing provides everything leading public and private sector clients of new housing and neighbourhoods need to deliver true long-term success.

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Poundbury, Dorchester

*Baylight Fellowship visit to Pondbury, June 2023*

Visit Poundbury in Dorset with the Baylight Fellowship from the Academy of British Housing — an experiential learning programme providing this generation’s most ambitious commissioners of new housing with the insight, knowledge and inspiration required to deliver outstanding homes and unlock sustainable future value.

Launched in 1993, Poundbury set out to draw on timeless principles that have enabled many places around Britain to endure and thrive over the centuries. With a walking tour exploring several decades on development on this hilltop site, we will examine the emerging result and ask whether Poundbury really offers an ideal prototype for the future new live and work settlements the UK desperately needs.

Meeting at Waterloo Station, participants will travel by train to Dorset, visiting Poundbury for a critical analysis and tour with Matthew Lloyd Roberts, having lunch together before the afternoon walking crit with guest architecture critic Ross Sharpe before returning to London by train in the evening.

The multi-part course offers an opportunity to join ambitious like-minded professionals for an experiential journey exploring time-honoured elements of successful housing – building long-term collaboration between Baylight Fellows drawn from across the public and private sectors.

Open to everyone with an interest in commissioning ambitious new housing, this is the latest instalment of the Baylight Fellowship following the success of days that explored extraordinary housing in Cambridge, South East England and London.

Prices for the day include train travel to and from London and catering and are £125 for private sector with a £85 concession for those working in the public sector. Tickets include 08.35am train from London Waterloo, returning to Waterloo at 19.51pm.

Please get in touch for tickets if arriving from outside of London.

Please get in touch if you will be traveling to the event from outside of London.

Book tickets

The Baylight Fellowship

Cambridge

A visit to a series of extraordinary housing developments in Cambridge including Marmalade Lane co-housing designed by Mole Architects and the Stirling Prize-winning Accordia by FCBS, Alison Brooks, Maccreanor Lavington (2008)

*Resident-led tour of 56 Ferry Street, Isle of Dogs*

Central and East London

A day-long session exploring unique examples of successful housing across central and east London including 50-56 Ferry Street by Stout and Litchfield, Golden Lane by Chamberlin, Powell and Bon and Span housing in Blackheath.

South East England

A day-long session out of London by coach visiting a series of extraordinary housing developments in South East England including a tour of Grade II*-listed Turn End, Haddenham, exploring both interiors and the development’s internationally renowned gardens.

South London

A day-long session exploring unique examples of successful housing across south London including BedZED and Walters Way by Walter Segal (1980) in Lewisham.

Why join the Baylight Fellows?

The Academy of British Housing connects courageous public and private sector commissioners of new homes with the expertise, insights and passion to create popular and successful housing that will be cherished by generations to come.

It offers fellows the inspiration and embedded learning needed to embrace new perspectives and priorities in housing design, financing and delivery so they can develop both their careers and organisations. The course is suitable for those hoping to learn about the practice of creating extraordinary homes for ordinary people under tight constraints, to see and experience simple and sustainable examples of success, and to meet like-minded people with shared professional goals.

Baylight Fellows completing all modules will receive an Academy of British Housing certificate, a souvenir memento, and be inducted as lifetime members of the Academy of British Housing network offering a wealth of additional networking and professional development opportunities.

What does a Baylight Fellowship involve?

Experiential journeys exploring time-honoured elements of successful housing
Learn alongside ambitious like-minded professionals
Visit extraordinary historic and contemporary housing across London and south east England
Resident perspectives across a range of tenures – private ownership, private rented, self-build, social rented and cooperative rented
Tours inside homes – illustrating technical examples of successful estate management, resilient build quality, shared active outdoor space and more
Group seminar discussions allowing Baylight Fellows to share their reflections and professional insights
Inspirational speakers on a range of topics including experiencing space; taste; seeing and spectacle; music and architecture; poetry, feeling and belonging
Visits to include: Accordia, Cambridge by FCBS, Alison Brooks, Maccreanor Lavington (2008); 56 Ferry Street by Stout and Litchfield; The Ryde, Hatfield by PRP (1963); Walters Way by Walter Segal (1980); Golden Lane by Chamberlin, Powell and Bon; and Turn End, Haddenham by Craig & Aldington (1963)
Multi-part modular learning and accredited CPD

What will Baylight Fellows gain?

Long lasting inspiration to help rethink priorities in light of fresh challenges facing housing delivery
Prestigious recognition of personal and professional strengths, and commitment to housing sector advancement
Build long-term collaboration between Baylight Fellows drawn from across the public and private sectors
Master basic elements of long-term housing success which could enhance contemporary schemes without compromising viability
Collective troubleshooting on barriers to progress, ways forward, and how to seed learning from the Academy of British Housing across the wider sector
Lifetime membership of the Academy of British Housing network

The Baylight Fellowship is accredited by Open City and counts as 40 hours of CPD.

If you have any questions please email: baylightfellowship@open-city.org.uk

Any profits from this programme are invested in Open City’s work supporting children and young people from under-represented backgrounds to pursue careers in architecture and city-making professionals.

Testimonials

‘It’s always memorable when someone speaks for their work and anchors it in a wider story. It’s an expression of care and connection. We would do well as an industry to remind ourselves of it’

Rupesh Varsani, Development Manager

‘The Academy of British Housing is all about delivering a step-change in the delivery of new homes so that the industry can create truly long-lasting dwellings that delight and inspire their residents. Its flagship course, the Baylight Fellowship will take participants on an experiential journey exploring the senses and feelings that have defined our concept of home throughout time.’

Crispin Kelly, founder of Baylight and chair of Open City

‘Great public speaking isn’t about talking loudly or using long words – it’s about how you connect with an audience on an emotional level’

Phineas Harper, CEO Open City

‘Open City has 30 years of experience in opening up amazing homes to the world and creating transformational learning opportunities. The best way to discover the secrets of great residential planning, design and delivery is to go inside an inspirational home and hear from the people who love living there.’

**Alison Brooks, founder Alison Brooks Architects**

‘Landscape is fundamental to the creation of successful living places with true longevity. Open City has been championing the design and management of high-quality landscape in the built environment for decades and has unparalleled expertise in educating the public and professionals about the role landscape architecture plays in the creation of successful housing.’

**Paul Lincoln, Editor, Landscape, the journal of the Landscape Institute**

‘Everybody needs to take a break from their day job to be inspired by exemplar housing schemes from past and present. What better way to do that than with Open City’s expert-guided visits?’

Claire Bennie, founder Municipal

This course is accredited by Open City, a registered charity dedicated to making architecture and the urban landscape more open, accessible and equitable. To find out about other training programmes accredited by Open City including the Golden Key Academy, visit our courses page.