Joseph Rowntree Trust appointed Acanthus to design a small contemporary hamlet of just 13 homes to the north of the city. CGI modelling was undertaken to allay local concern and provide an accurate representation of the finished project. 

A key design feature was that the houses should be cheap for residents to run and flexible to meet changing family needs. A "three phase" strategy of high performance building fabric, excellent levels of air tightness and minor renewables was adopted.