Author: goodhomeskb

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Case Study

Marmalade Lane

Cambridge City Council, as landowner, wanted to see the site developed for cohousing in an innovative way, and as a new model for home ownership; it will be the city’s first cohousing community. Marmalade Lane incorporates private homes, extensive shared gardens and a ‘common house’ with a children’s playroom, guest bedrooms, laundry facilities and a large hall and kitchen for communal events. A large shared garden, with space for food growing, play and relaxation is at the heart of the development.

Designed following fabric-first principles and built using the Trivselhus closed timber panel construction, the modular dwelling types will be built close to Passivhaus standards. Homes will be energy efficient and require minimal heating; will include triple glazing and high levels of insulation; and will be run on renewable energy provided by air source heat pumps.

Dwelling types were designed to be flexibly located on different plots across the plan, and offered broad scope for customers to tailor their homes internally and externally, depending on the users’ needs, using the TOWN Custom Build approach.

The project has been christened Marmalade Lane after the new street that will run through it – a nod to historic links to the Chivers jam factory that was nearby.

Key information

  • Project name: Marmalade Lane
  • Location: Orchard Park, Cambridge
  • Project type: New Build
  • Sector: Residential
  • No. of dwellings: 42 homes
  • Key dates: December 2018 (Completion)

Project team

  • Architect: Mole Architects
  • Client: Cambridge Cohousing Ltd
  • Developer: TOWN and Trivselhus
  • Client advisor: Instinctively Green
  • Structural engineer: Elliott Wood
  • Civil engineer: Elliott Wood
  • M&E engineer: Hoare Lea
  • Quantity surveyor: Monaghans
  • Project management: Monaghans
  • Visualisations: Mole Architects, Darc Studio
  • Contractor: Coulson Group

More information: wearetown.co.uk

Photo credits: David Butler

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Report

Cost of carbon reduction in new buildings

The UK has a legal commitment to reduce carbon emissions by 80% by 2050. This report considers different options for achieving carbon savings in new housing and non-domestic buildings and assesses their costs and other factors relevant to the development of local planning policies. The development of specific policy options will reflect local priorities, viability and other considerations but the information on costs and other relevant policy considerations is intended to help inform these decisions in developing effective policies that deliver carbon savings whilst protecting housing supply and household costs.

A range of dwelling and non-domestic buildings were considered, and detailed energy and cost modelling undertaken for five house types investigating a wide range of energy efficiency, low carbon heating and renewable power generation strategies. The costs of a variety of policy options were considered involving minimum levels of energy efficiency, onsite carbon savings and then the achievement of net zero carbon standards considering regulated energy or both regulated and unregulated energy. Allowable solutions/carbon offset payments could be used at a cost of £95 per tonne to meet the net zero carbon target once onsite carbon reduction targets had been achieved.

Analysis suggests that it is possible to achieve net zero regulated carbon emissions from a combination of energy efficiency on site carbon reductions and allowable solutions for an additional capital cost of between 5-7% for homes and non-domestic buildings. Achieving net zero regulated and unregulated emission is likely to result in a cost impact of 7-11% for homes.

Author: Currie & Brown

Publication date: December 2018

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Book

The Housing Design Handbook: A guide to good practice

Everyone deserves a decent and affordable home, a truth (almost) universally acknowledged. But housing in the UK has been in a state of crisis for decades, with too few homes built, too often of dubious quality, and costing too much to buy, rent or inhabit. It doesn’t have to be like this. Bringing together a wealth of experience from a wide range of housing experts, this completely revised edition of The Housing Design Handbook provides an authoritative, comprehensive and systematic guide to best practice in what is perhaps the most contentious and complex field of architectural design.

This book sets out design principles for all the essential components of successful housing design – including placemaking, typologies and density, internal and external space, privacy, security, tenure, and community engagement – illustrated with case studies of schemes by architecture practices working across the UK and continental Europe.

Written by David Levitt and Jo McCafferty – two recognised authorities in the field – and with contributions from more than twenty other leading practitioners, The Housing Design Handbook is an essential reference for professionals and students in architecture and design as well as for government bodies, housing associations and other agencies involved in housing.

Read a teaser for the book here.

Author: David Levitt, Jo McCafferty

Publication date: October 2018

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Report

Innovation in council housebuilding

Council housebuilding must be at the centre of a renewed effort to deliver homes that generate growth and that communities need now and into the future. This new report shares examples of councils that are doing just that. The case studies of council housebuilding show how councils are opening up opportunities to build good quality homes that are designed to be accessible, affordable and energy efficient.

There is a wealth of information in this report about the context for council housebuilding, the broader picture of housing delivery led by councils and an analysis of the process councils have gone through to set up active building programmes. It is drawn from the direct experience of councils and their insights into setting up new building schemes. It is a complete and detailed study of delivering innovation in council housebuilding, presented here in sections so that councils can draw easily on the parts that are most relevant to them.

Case studies of innovative housebuilding projects are a core part of the report. Chapter eight provides ten case studies of council housebuilding programmes around the country. The report is both a complete study and individual sections of useful information and resources.

Author: Housing Quality Network

Publication date: August 2018

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Report

Building for the future: the role of county councils in meeting housing need

As part of the CCN’s Building for the Future project, which aims to showcase innovative county councils and unitary authorities delivering high-quality homes and communities, this report demonstrates that there is an appetite among counties to help meet national housing need but that they are not supported by national policy.

The report finds that there is an often-severe need for affordable housing among county and unitary authorities, with house prices in these areas among the highest in the country and at least nine times average earnings.

The report charts the progress of five counties trying to address local housing needs either through partnerships or direct delivery, ultimately calling on government to recognise the potential of this as a movement and make policy reforms to unlock further delivery.

Author: Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA), County Councils Network (CCN)

Publication date: June 2018

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Paper

Creative Housing Design: Promoting sustainable living in cohousing community in the UK

Semi-structured interviews were carried out i) to understand residents’ thinking and behaviour change through living in the cohousing community, and ii) to establish the environmental and social sustainability in a cohousing setting.

The study found that the development procedure of cohousing highly differs from the mainstream housing design. The quality of the design can potentially influence the residents’ daily life.

The findings will benefit a range of groups. It will be an important reference for cohousing design standards. Also, it could potentially become the legitimate toolkit for cohousing groups.

Author: Jingjing Wang, Yiru Pan, Karim Hadjri, University of Sheffield

Publication date: June 2018

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Report

Clarion Housing Circular Economy Strategy

Clarion Housing’s Circular Economy Strategy for regeneration established three fundamental principles: building in layers, social value and the waste hierarchy, which emerged following extensive literature review, research into industry best practice and engagement with Clarion and the Merton Regeneration Project teams.

Author: Clarion Housing

Publication date: May 2018

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Guidance Report

London Environment Strategy

The Mayor of London is taking a range of actions to improve the environment now, setting London on the path to create a better future.

The state of London’s environment affects everyone who lives in and visits the city – it helps Londoners to stay healthy, makes London a good place to work and keeps the city functioning from day to day.

In many ways London’s environment is improving, but it still faces a host of challenges. Toxic air, noise pollution, threats to our green spaces, and the adverse effects of climate change – they all pose major risks to the health and wellbeing of Londoners.

We need to act now to tackle the most urgent environmental challenges facing our city, as well as safeguard London’s environment over the longer term. We need to ensure that London is greener, cleaner and ready for the future.

This is the first strategy to bring together approaches to every aspect of London’s environment, integrating the following areas:

  • air quality
  • green infrastructure
  • climate change mitigation and energy
  • waste
  • adapting to climate change
  • ambient noise
  • low carbon circular economy

Author: Mayor of London

Publication date: May 2018

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DOWNLOAD EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Further information: https://www.london.gov.uk/what-we-do/environment/london-environment-strategy

Categories
Report

Rural Housing for an Ageing Population: Preserving Independence (HAPPI 4)

The Inquiry report makes a number of ‘rural proofing’ recommendations to increase the quality, supply and range of more appropriate age-friendly housing. It suggested an adaptation of the HAPPI principles when designing new homes for older people in rural areas, noting that new housing could preserve independence for older people and save NHS and social care funds.

It also recognised the need to build greater resilience and connectivity amongst local communities across all ages in the countryside. The Inquiry saw at first hand and heard evidence that building hubs for older people within villages also has the added benefit of retaining their support networks of family and friends. The Inquiry therefore also calls for wider community-led support solutions that could help people remain in their own village and stay connected in isolated rural communities.

Author: Housing our Ageing Population Panel for Innovation

Publication date: April 2018

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Tool

SCATTER (Setting City Area Targets and Trajectories for Emissions Reduction)

SCATTER (Setting City Area Targets and Trajectories for Emissions Reduction) is a local authority focussed emissions tool, built to help create low carbon local authorities. SCATTER provides local authorities and city regions with the opportunity to standardise their greenhouse gas reporting and align to international frameworks, including the setting of targets in line with the Paris Climate Agreement.

  • SCATTER generates a compliant emissions inventory

  • SCATTER can be used to develop a credible decarbonisation pathway for a local authority to implement in line with their emissions targets.

  • Outputs can then be used for engagement to create a collaborative carbon reduction approach

Author: Anthesis Group

Launch date: March 2018

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