The Waters Edge Development is set at the heart of the Cotswold water park. Each of the homes offer completely unobstructed views from the large decks built directly over the lake.

The houses take cues from continental modernism, something still rare in the UK, with its stringent planning regulations (which somehow stop innovation under the pretext of making things in-keeping with the area, but allow the larger developers to fill the country with horrific mock Tudor and Georgian pastiche, built from plans that have probably been lying around since the late 70's)

The Cotswold Water Park is Britain's largest wetland nature reserve (It is man-made however, the lakes being former quarries)

While I personally think it is slightly disheartening that these are "second" homes, it's great to see contemporary house design being deployed on a slightly larger scale in the UK. One would hope this will help the case for individuals, architects and developers looking to build contemporary homes for family residence throughout the nation.

You can visit the developments website online at www.watersedgecotswold.com

This modern Swiss home finished in 2007, is set amongst panoramic views of lake Walensse and the mountains of Churfürsten. The way the scenery is framed by the floor to ceiling glass is simply sublime. Set on beautiful sloping meadowland this beautiful modern house generates most of its own energy using photovoltaic panels on the roof and a modern stove.

ArchDaily has more pictures of this stunning home by km Architektur

Those of us living in UK have enjoyed (or not depending on your property ladder status) an enormous and unprecedented boom in the housing market in recent years. Now that a looming bubble burst is upon us we have all considered the financial effects that this will have, but how many of us have considered social effects of the looming effigies to that rapid era of growth? With swathes of unoccupied market apartments likely to become the new slums and sprawling estates of mock Tudor horrors we seem so keen on living in, the UK’s architectural future looks bleak. For what so many people take for granted is the impact of our environment on not only our quality of life but our psychological well being.

And with that in mind I have a new raison d’être, a vision mission I know I’m not alone in dreaming. So my contribution to the cause? Why, I’m going to shamelessly plug some much needed UK based contemporary architecture in the hope we as a nation will start realising that modern can not only be beautiful but also offers us a better way of living and a sustainable future.

First on my list is Edinburgh based Zebrano Design who pride themselves on offering innovative, contextual and well detailed architecture for the 21st century. Bravo!

For more information visit Zebrano

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

The Northern Quarter is fast becoming one of Manchester's most desirable areas for both shoppers and residents alike, and Stonehurst Estates is making good on this increasingly up-and-coming area with the Light House - a beautiful, Conran-designed complex offering a total of 106 apartments at a finished value of £32m.

The Light House, a sleek 20-storey steel and glass building, is to be the realisation of a vision of urban dwelling in Manchester. This development will see the compatible fusion of contemporary new-build alongside classic regeneration as the striking tower rises above restored Edwardian warehouses.

Situated opposite world-renowned fashion emporium, Afflecks Palace, and to rise above the central hub that is Piccadilly Gardens with balcony views across the city, Light House promises to offer guaranteed famous Conran-style with city centre convenience. There is still some availability on the property, which is offered from around £135,000 rising to over £500,000 for an 1,800 sq. ft duplex penthouse apartment. Secure underground parking ia available and buyers on the top five floors also get sole, exclusive use of a 2,000 sq. ft. roof garden on the 15th floor.

Simon Briggs, managing director of Stonehurst Estates, said: "The Light House is setting new standards in the Northern Quarter for imaginative architecture and quality of design. We are interested in adding to, and enhancing, Manchester's residential mix. It's an exciting city to be working in and we want to make The Light House a special place in which to live."

Stephen Hogg of selling agent King Sturge said: "The Light House is one of the most significant and exciting schemes to come on to the market in Manchester for some time. There is simply nothing like it in such a fantastic location."

For further details visit Light House at www.lighthousemanchester.co.uk

With over 20,000 self-build homes a year, Britain is fast casting a continental eye over its custom constructions, with a growing preference for glass-fronted timber frames over traditional bricks and mortar. Ever since seeing the German custom-build house on Grand Designs, I've been fairly in love with this prefab self-build style of home. Huf Haus is one of several UK-based companies offering such constructions, with precision-cut kits of German extraction shipped for assembly right here to these shores.

Huf Haus offer architect or self-designed custom timber post-and-beam-style houses, prepared in Germany by experienced craftsmen and constructed on land purchased in the UK. Typified by the speed and expertise with which they are built, these tailor-made houses are quickly becoming a popular choice for a beautiful, custom-built home. Once a plot of land has been purchased, the company will oversee the entire project, from conception to construction, with the final product nothing short of a unique structure, beautiful both inside and out.

Huf Haus doesn't come cheap, though, at between £130-£150 per sq. ft., with a 3,400 sq. ft. house costing around £500,000. However, you do get the whole package, workforce included, and a complete build within four months.

Contact or visit Huf Haus online at www.huf-haus.com/gb for more information. 

Whomever termed 'square' a word for dull frigidity has obviously never laid eyes on Werner Aisslinger's Loftcube. These individual life units take into consideration the dual purpose of the needs of urban dwellers and the use of their environment. Aisslinger's concept works on the principal of wasted city living space and can certainly be viewed as a relatively 'green' answer to urban overpopulation by making use of existing, unused spaces.

Aisslinger's recognition of modernity in urban dwelling, the lifestyle needs of the contemporary city-dweller, has been met in Loftcube. Pure sanctuary bodes harmoniously within city space, providing minimalist habitation within urban sprawl. Simultaneously secluded and yet open, Loftcube exists as a seemingly contradictory anomaly, though one which meets its remit with success and originality.

What is the essence of Loftcube? Cubed simplicity sits atop an existing building, providing the inhabitant with an unrivalled panorama. Within the unit, pared-down open-plan creates space within space as ample rooftop sunlight fills the cube from every side. Aisslinger's vision of a suburban rooftop 'neighbourhood' could well be realised with living thus, a sprawling microcosm of city life. Loftcube - the quintessence of cubist living.

For more information or to place an order, visit Loftcube online at www.loftcube.net

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.