Typically when we come across examples of contemporary residential architecture, it generally does not call the UK it’s homeland. So imagine our surprise when we came across a whole development of such, not just on UK soil, but in the prestigious and much revered Cotswolds, home of winding lanes, rickety yet charming stone cottages and plenty of antiques. Then add the exact location to that element of shock, the Cotswold Water Park, a nature reserve and outdoor pursuits treasure buried deep in the heart of the conservative countryside, a place where I myself spent much of my youth dabbling around in a canoe.

So you see, Landmark Houses, are not even just mere landmarks they are something quite historically groundbreaking too. Billed as the UK’s first residential nature reserve, the development although unquestionably modern is sensitive to the surroundings, a place where families can embrace both the countryside and the contemporary existing in harmony together.

The sponsor and land owner Jeremy Paxton, has brought together over 30 of the worlds leading architects including, Will Alsop, Eva Jiricna, Sutherland Hussey, Richard Meier and Partners, Roger Sherman, Sarah Featherstone, Alison Brooks, Piers Gough and Greg Lynnto complete this impressive project.

Designs include the Orchid House, inspired by the camouflage of the Bee Orchid and the Sundance Villa, of which the main floor rotates 360 degrees for panoramic views of the landscape.

For more information and images visit www.lmearchitecture.com

In a move to aid the regeneration of the Great Jackson Street Framework, Manchester City Council has approved West Properties’ planned Owen Street development. The development, which will be part of the re-invigoration of the brownfield site, form a section of the council’s strategic plan for the area and will incorporate local amenities alongside stunning Ian Simpson-designed towers.

West Properties, who exist as one of the strongest leaders in Manchester’s continuing urban renewal, plan to create the five-towered complex as a site of environmental consciousness, much like their Princess Street development, Origin. Not only do the landscaped public spaces and residential gardens make Owen Street visually green, but West Properties plan to continue this environmental focus with eco-friendly solutions such as biomass technology, solar energy and the re-introduction of the ground source heat pump currently being installed at Origin.

Ranging from 13 to 49 storeys along with a new river walkway, ‘coffee pods’ and raised gardens suspended above shops, restaurants and offices, Owen Street will provide the modern urbanite with all the contemporaneity of Manchester living. Donal Mulryan, chief executive of West Properties, comments on the plans, which provide 1,094 apartments, 100 serviced apartments, a 209 bed hotel and a 36,000 sq ft gym and swimming pool facility: “We’re creating an all encompassing city centre destination with cutting edge architecture and much needed public space.  Manchester needs world class developments like this if the city is to compete on the international stage.  We must get the right mix of residential, commercial and leisure space to drive the regeneration of the area.”

West Properties’ developmental plans have been well-received by the public as well as Manchester City Council, and work is expected to commence on site in November 2008.

Part of the New Islington development in Ancoats, Manchester, Bryant Homes’ The Botanic promises to bring environmental harmony to contemporary, urban living. UK-native plants, mature trees and grass fill the garden enclave, enclosed and protected by the twin apartment blocks to which they bring an oasis of nature amid city living. Located just east of Manchester city centre, The Botanic forms part of New Islington; Manchester’s Millennium Community, an innovative complex spearheaded by the partnership of national regeneration agency English Partnerships, Urban Splash and New East Manchester Ltd together with appointed social landlord, Manchester Methodist Housing Association.

The 30 acre site is being radically transformed to a strategic and ambitious vision created by Will Alsop.  A new canal and water park, over 1700 new homes, office space, a school, a health clinic, shops, bars and restaurants are planned to be created, using the worlds best architecture.

But what can The Botanic offer the discerning urban dweller, besides a certain natural tranquillity? Floor to ceiling dual-aspect windows flood the largely duplex apartments with natural light and provide an opportunity for both a garden and a city view. Its 200 apartments will be of smart interior, with contemporary fixtures and fittings demonstrating the usual high finish of a Bryant home. Green in more ways than one, the project will bring a new style of living to Manchester, with recycling facilities, a water collection system and an environmentally-conscious construction ethic.

With its Manchester M4 postcode, The Botanic has all the city has to offer on its doorstep, but whilst still offering a retreat from city living. Apartments are currently available from 1-bedroom to luxury 3-bed duplexes measuring nearly 1,000 sq.ft. Prices start at £132,950.

For more information on The Botanic, visit Bryant Homes online at www.bryant.co.uk/northwest/thebotanic

Multi award-winning architect, Will Alsop, purveyor of distinctive modernist buildings, many of them constructed in the UK, has lent his incomparative vision to the Tees Valley Regeneration project (TVR.) Alsop's company, SMC Alsop, have termed the project the "Middlehaven Masterplan," and it is a plan which centres on, though not exclusively, the town of Middlesborough. Incorporating the entire Tees Valley Corridor, Greater Middlehaven will undergo some seriously regenerative construction, and construction which will be unequivocally stamped with Alsop's trademark use of vibrant colours and unusual forms.

Bringing £200m of investment to Middlesborough, TVR is part of the government's scheme to address regeneration in some of the most necessitious areas in the UK. The Middlehaven Masterplan, though, will see the landscape evolve to encorporate existing landmarks, such as the Clock Tower and Riverside Stadium, and will grow with a sympathy for its existing environment. This new vision for Greater Middlehaven seeks to inspire, excite and firmly establish the area as a waterfront destination of international significance through the implementation of great design.

SMC Alsop's scheme will be a testament to modern, sustainable development and urban living, and promises to bring thousands of jobs and opportunities, hundreds of homes, great leisure facilities plus a general uplift in the way Middlesbrough is perceived both by its residents and the outside world.

Lumiere - above all. And so it will be when K W Linfoot PLC erect their Leeds-situated building, to be one of the tallest residential building's in Europe. Comprising of Tower l (54 storeys) and Tower ll (31 storeys,) upon completetion in 2011/12 the Lumiere will yield not just prime residential accommodation, but public spaces, a central piazza and winter garden, too.

The increasingly metropolitan city of Leeds, where residential regeneration is booming, is fast becoming an irresistible draw to the urban dewller. And why not? This northern light has much to offer every faction of society from the traditional urbanite to the avant-garde city lifer. Leading the region's regeneration scheme is K W Linfoot PLC, an established company spearheading Yorkshire developments, leading the county's construction of some of the most desirable apartments.

Lumiere will feature more than just state-of-the-art office space and leisure facilities, but will also provide a utopia of the most craved contemporary living spaces. Penthouses will gaze atop the city whilst a range of duplex, residential, serviced apartments and studios vie for the sky inbetween. Don't watch the changing skyline, be part of it in 2012.

Visit K W Linfoot PLC at www.kwlinfootplc.com, and keep a sharp eye on Lumiere at www.lumiereaboveall.com

Development company, Urban Splash, see themselves as a regeneration company, specialising in taking the outdated and disused remnants of urban life past and giving them a contemporary twist. Or, indeed, as they say, "We make places to live, places that other people overlook. We turn old buildings worth saving into new buildings worth loving."

Saxton, the company's first Leeds-based project, will see two 1950s dilapidated ex-council blocks regenerated to form apartments, complete with working allotments and what’s thought to be the largest landscaped gardens of any city centre development.

The 410-unit development, situated on the Eastbank of Leeds city centre, will feature more than two acres of impressive gardens, including an orchard, wild flower meadows, rolling hills and 27 working allotments available to residents and the existing community.

Along with the vast open green space, Urban Splash will also be completely recycling the two buildings to form elements of the new look apartments, with the majority of the materials being re-used.

Find out more about the development at www.saxtonleeds.co.uk, and visit Urban splash online at www.urbansplash.co.uk