Knowing the market
A popular development is one where the design meets the needs and desires of its potential residents. Different sectors, locations and forms of tenure all bring their own expectations which lead to varying definitions of needs and desires.
Our work across the UK and internationally on affordable and market sale developments, and our role in advising international housing providers, helps us to understand how these complex interactions set the parameters for success. In all cases the key is to ensure that residents can exercise choice as this gives them a sense of belonging; what changes is the point where choice is made and that is an important influence on the design process.
In the affordable sector choice comes through the experience of the project team, and where possible detailed consultation. We have worked with registered social landlords on consultative exercises, which help us to understand how household structure, cultural background, age and generation all have a bearing on what form of housing is best suited to a given community. That information has allowed us to optimise the advantages of our sites, and together with our understanding of the construction process, to get the most out of our budgets.
Residents of market sale homes exercise choice when they buy. That means the homes they see must have immediate appeal and offer a consistent aesthetic from their impact in their surroundings through their common parts into individual homes. While stylish bathrooms and slick kitchens often clinch sales, they are the culminating experiences in a coherent sequence of spaces.
Our experience in both sectors helps us to understand the social and economic conditions that affect the housing market overall, and where appropriate to take innovations from one into the other. It also makes us well placed to design developments with mixed tenure, while our knowledge of the commercial sector means we can expand successfully into large scale, mixed use developments.