Section: Building & Regeneration

Design for Manufacture Update

The Design for Manufacture Lessons Learnt was published, providing evidence of the house building industry's ability to respond to the challenge of building good quality homes within a target construction cost of £60,000.

National regeneration agency English Partnerships and the Department for Communities and Local Government, together with help from the many organisations involved in the competition, have created the comprehensive publication, which highlights the ten main lessons learnt from the competition and details the winning and commended schemes.

The winning designs in the Design for Manufacture competition have set new standards of excellence and pave the way for further improvements to the way homes can be better designed and economically constructed.

Some of the lessons learnt explored in the publication include:

Construction costs can be tamed without sacrificing quality - developers that closely linked their design, suppliers and delivery teams into a single process found savings.
It is possible to achieve higher-density housing with houses, not just flats - developments built as a result of this competition will achieve densities of over 60 homes per hectare, mainly with houses. It's proof that getting the design and development process right means it's possible to have houses with gardens and parking spaces.
Reducing construction costs doesn't mean reducing size - the competition required all homes to be constructed for £60,000 to be a minimum of 76.5 sq. m. In fact, many of the homes could be built larger than this - some at around 88 sq. m.
Good home design can dramatically reduce energy bills - some of the winning designs are groundbreaking in terms of energy efficiency and have features that will help keep homes warm in winter and cool in summer.

The toolkit for local authorities and other public sector landowners - How to Win at Housebuilding - will promote the principles of the Design for Manufacture competition. so that it can be re-run on other sites in ways that are sensitive to local needs. The toolkit will be available later this year.

Scheme Update

England

Work started on a pioneering development, which will see the first new affordable homes for key workers being built as part of English Partnership's London-Wide Initiative. First Base, the residential-led urban regeneration developer, and English Partnerships joined Housing and Planning Minister Yvette Cooper in marking the start on site at Adelaide Wharf in Shoreditch.

Adelaide Wharf is a mixed-use development including 147 homes, of which more than half will be affordable homes, including a significant proportion for Key Workers.

English Partnerships launched the London-Wide Initiative (LWI) as a pilot to fast-track more quality affordable homes in Greater London.

The pilot scheme, based on 15 English Partnerships owned sites, will deliver up to 4,000 homes over the next five years, of which around 1,500 will be for sale at discounted prices or homes for sale for Key Workers and First Time Buyers. Adelaide Wharf is the first of these schemes and is due to be completed in the summer of 2007.

First Base will utilise Modern Methods of Construction throughout and sustainable products in the manufacturing process to deliver a development that is high quality and good value for money. Adelaide Wharf is expected to achieve an EcoHomes Excellent and Lifetime Homes accreditation.
National regeneration agency English Partnerships, along with the preferred developer Swan Housing Association, submitted an outline planning application to Basildon District Council for the regeneration of the Craylands Estate and the development of the former Fryerns School site in Basildon.

The outline application is for a comprehensive estate renewal programme with over £200 million invested in new homes, new roads and a bus route, a new local centre with shops and community facilities alongside improvements to existing facilities and services. Up to 750 new homes will be built and up to 700 homes rebuilt as part of the scheme. Thirty per cent of the homes in the remodeled estate will be affordable housing with both affordable rented and shared equity options available.

Scotland

A new affordable housing development in Oban, which contains one of the UK's largest biomass district heating systems, was officially unveiled by Communities Minister Malcolm Chisholm. Developed by West Highland Housing Association and supported by £3 million from Communities Scotland, the development comprises 44 new homes in a mix of one- and two-bedroom flats and two-, three- and four-bedroom houses for rent. A further 46 homes are currently being built at a neighbouring site.

The development's biomass district heating system burns waste wood from the Argyll forests. It will ensure an energy efficient supply of heat and hot water serving all of the 90 homes. The properties also benefit from a heat recovery ventilation system, endorsed by the British Allergy Association. South-facing sun porches will maximise the use of solar energy, cutting down on the amount of heating required.

Section: Building & Regeneration

Design for Manufacture Update

Scheme Update

England

Scotland

Housing Monthly Diary

Reporting on July 2006

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