Creating inclusive communities and neighbourhoods

Douglas and King are currently involved in the planning and design of small, medium and large-scale housing developments. Whilst we have completed many residential projects in the past, including multiple home models, these have mainly been located in densely populated urban environments.

The challenges of creating a new community within a non-urban setting are multiple. Fundamental to our strategy is the process known as Place-making.

We have looked at exemplars and learned from them – we understand how successful and sustainable communities can be developed through the fabric and identity of ‘place’. As architects we have a social and professional responsibility to design the best we can for the aspiration and needs of those we are designing for.

Central to our thinking is how can we design authentically for the community that will live, work and play in this new neighbourhood, what will nurture the elusive spirit that binds rather than separates? The answer is Place-making.

What is Placemaking

Place-making is an inclusive approach to the design of new environments that create a unique identity – a shared sense of community, a place of being and belonging to – in surroundings which improve the quality of life for the residents.

For each of the housing developments we are involved with we look at how people will interact and how we can design for the benefit of all. This means we must create an identity and a sense of place for the overall development and appraise the individual components that will give the development the ‘dynamic’ we seek to achieve.

We attempt to apply the Principles outlined in the RIBA publication ‘The Art of Building a Garden City’. The Authors state that the garden city principles are not a ‘blue print’ for new developments but do outline a successful approach. Each principle can be beneficial to a smaller development if implemented on its own, however to maximise the potentiality for place-making it is important to incorporate as many as possible.

The core principles of sustainable 21st century communities

1. Land value capture for the benefit of the community

2. Strong vision, leadership and community engagement

3. Community ownership of land and long-term stewardship of assets

4. Developments that enhance the natural environment and provide comprehensive green infrastructure networks and net biodiversity gains, and that use zero carbon and energy positive technology to ensure climate resilience

5. Strong local cultural, recreational and shopping facilities in pedestrianised zones

6. Integrated and accessible transport systems, with walking, cycling and public transport

7. Mixed tenure homes and housing types that are genuinely affordable

8. A variety of employment opportunities within easy commuting distance

9. Beautiful and imaginative homes and gardens, combining the best of town and county to create healthy communities including opportunities for the cultivation of vegetables, fruit and foodstuffs

Current partnerships and policies

It is a regrettable fact, but one nonetheless, that the supply of new housing in the UK is currently indebted to private sector developers. This means that the principal business model/motivation of the organisations involved is not for the common good – it is for profit.

Even the most exemplary and conscientious of housing developers have to provide a return for investors and shareholders that can be measured in monetary terms above all else.

In its 2016 publication, ‘Development: The Value of Place-making’ the property consultants Savills explain that spending on infrastructure, local amenities and public spaces creates better places.

It goes on to describe how the Land Value Uplift through place-making can be increased by as much as 25% and contends that the Land Value Uplift enables the delivery of the kind of neighbourhoods that communities want.

The evidence is provided by financial outcomes from two developments, Poundbury, Dorset and Brooklands, Milton Keynes, both of which are exemplary place-making projects and have increased house values by up to 91% over neighbouring, less considered, housing developments.

10 Principles of Placemaking

The Berkeley Group categorise the following key ingredients in their publication ‘Principles of Place-making’:

Planning
The Correct Location
Partnership Working
Listen and Relate

Design
Bespoke design
Mixed use and mixed tenure
Low carbon
High quality public realm

Implementation
Attention to detail
Each phase is a whole
Invest in management

The Golden Rules Applied

Below we give two examples where we have applied place-making principles to create successful small, medium and large scale housing development.

Goffs Oak, Hertfordshire

This is a small development of 10 residential units and is a perfect example of how place-making, as the core value, is delivering a new sustainable community within a developer led project. The project has from the outset been conceived with the objective of achieving mixed tenure homes and mixed housing types.

The key place-making features we have applied are:

Designed to encourage community engagement
Substantial areas of shared land and space within the development which are jointly owned
Mixed house types, sizes and tenures
Vernacular building types, and each designed individually to respond to location and position
Gardens and shared areas landscaped to enhance the natural environment
Local shops within walking distance
Respect and response to the local environment

Chadwell St Mary, Essex

Chadwell St Mary is a development to the north of the Essex town of Tilbury that is being designed and planned using the principles of place-making.

The impact of placemaking within the socio-economic equation

Within the interaction of social and economic progress housing plays a vital role. We live in a pluralistic society so the creation of healthy neighbourhoods is of primary importance. Strengthening the connections between people and the places they live in and share is central to place-making and to accepted socio-economic goals.

A vibrant, attractive, and secure neighbourhood will attract a mixed demographic and will be of benefit to the overall community strategy of the area. It will also attract employers as it offers them a workforce with a range of ages, skills and abilities.

How does the creation of successful neighbourhoods through place-making increase development profits?

When people go to look at a property as a potential home they prioritise certain ‘values’ – some of these are commonly shared and some are not.

Shared values will almost always include:

A safe and secure neighbourhood
Access to schools, shops, recreational areas, public transport
Employment opportunities
Commuting options and services
Quality of life

Estate agents drive the property market and developers are currently driving the housing market. In each case the primary motive is to increase the commission value and or to optimise the profit value for their shareholders. The home-buyer or home-owner isn’t quite a Pawn in their game of Chess but they are certainly not as powerful as the Knight or the Queen.

Developers and estate agents will sell the concept of ‘lifestyle’ over and above the aesthetic of the development’s design or its community and environmental attributes.

As architects commissioned to design these new housing developments it is important that we ‘sell’ hard the benefits of successful place-making and that the goal is long-term not short-term. We hope to share this sense of responsibility for the communities we develop with our developer partners and to embrace a collective ambition to:

create inclusive communities that will endure beyond our lifetime
yield the investment potential that the developer requires
contribute to the quality of life for those who live in the homes we design
build homes that are authentic, have longevity and flexibility
work with the most sustainable methods of construction, insulation, ventilation, etc

Other accompanying blogs in this series are:

Designing Homes – The Argument for an Authentic Approach

Evolution of The House Type

Modern Methods of Construction

Garden grabbing policy dropped in revised London Plan

Creating new houses on Gardens and Back Land Sites in London is not always “Garden Grabbing” as it can sometimes be derisively described. To be successful this type of development does require evaluation and assessment, and careful consideration of the relevant issues.

So here’s a useful Overview of the Risks Involved. There are the obvious ones such as Planning Consent, Party Wall Agreements, Construction Costs and the less obvious ones (but equally relevant) such as the Suitability of Plots, and Issues such as Access, Utilities, Restrictions, Land Ownership, etc.

For a specific analysis of a plot please contact the design studio and we will be happy to discuss a potential development with you and can also provide you with a copy of our publication ‘individual dwellings’ and a fact sheet on this topic.

Please Email info@douglasandking.com with the title ‘Individual Dwellings’ for a copy of the publications.

Many outer London borough homes have abnormally large back gardens and extended ‘backland’ areas adjacent to them. At first sight they would seem to be ideal for the construction of a new dwelling. However there are a number of potential hurdles to overcome to achieve a successful outcome and in this blog we run through the main issues to be aware of.

Ideal plots for this kind of development are those that can be described as anomalies within the ‘Urban Grain’. By this we mean that a garden may be substantially larger than its neighbours, or of the garden sizes prevalent within the neighbourhood. Street patterns can also determine or demonstrate these anomalies so accurate and up to date site-specific maps should be consulted.

The topography and orientation of a site are also important. It is common to reduce the impact of a new building by working with the existing land levels. These can become an integral design component by for example, creating semi-subterranean buildings and/or designing low Impact environmentally friendly dwellings.

A new dwelling will need to be accessed from the public highway and permission may be required from the local council’s Highways department to create a new crossover. It is vital to ascertain whether access routes cross land or title owned by others as permission will be necessary in order to create a new access i.e. a driveway and whether the access allows for the routes of utilities below ground. The latter is commonplace in land bordering railway lines and/or land owned by utility companies.

Prospective developments must establish land ownership and any easements or rights of way within the land registry deeds. The title deeds for a property will set out any conditions that might restrict the development of a piece of land. Restrictions can be anything from rights of way to services within the ground. The title deeds can be obtained online from the land registry website.

It is important to double-check that no significant below ground services run beneath the site. This can be anything from a community sewer to a large electrical cable supplying power to a nearby substation. Comprehensive amenity drawings be obtained from mapping specialists who hold records provided by all the major utility companies

Many back land developments that are refused planning by the local authority are often successful at a second appeal stage. Planning appeals are submitted to and decided by the Planning Inspectorate. The Planning Inspectorate is an executive agency for the Department for Communities and Local Government. They are in turn informed by the NPPF (National Planning Policy Framework).

Our recent project ‘House in an Urban Woodland’ was granted planning consent in 2016 for the development of a large rear garden in the London Borough of Barnet after the initial Planning application was rejected. The project is one of a number of new dwelling developments on former garden or back land sites that the practice is currently working on.

Please Email info@douglasandking.com with the title ‘Individual Dwellings’ for a copy of the residential brochure and the information sheet relating to garden or back land development.

Multiplying the Residential Model

Our approach to the layout and design of homes has emerged through years of testing, exploring, engaging, measuring, listening and learning.

We are committed to creating people-centered dwellings that are inclusive where full consideration has been given to the dynamics of age, lifestyle, function, circulation, level, light, insulation and well-being.

The formulae that we apply to the design of the domestic environment is the common thread we apply to different types of dwellings whether they are individual houses or apartments, multiple residential buildings, or homes converted out of buildings which had former uses.

So in this blog we discuss the key drivers behind the ways we have applied these formulae to a variety of seemingly ‘singular’ dwelling types and will demonstrate the commonality of our approach. The standard for living that we apply is based on guidelines that have evolved elementally through the processes we describe above and below. We begin with the question:

What Do We Want From A Home?

The Essential Ingredients

Privacy noun

‘a state in which one is not observed or disturbed by other people’

Sanctuary noun

‘refuge or safety from pursuit, persecution, or other danger’

Harmony noun

‘the quality of forming a pleasing and consistent whole’

Individuality noun

‘the quality or character of a particular person or thing that distinguishes them from others of the same kind, especially when strongly marked’.

Comfort noun

‘a state of physical ease and freedom from pain or constraint’

Safety noun

‘the condition of being protected from or unlikely to cause danger, risk, or injury’

Sociability noun

‘the quality of liking to meet and spend time with other people’

Ritual noun

‘a series of actions or type of behaviour regularly and invariably followed by someone’

In this section we describe how we evaluate space calculations and how we consider functionality, circulation, lifestyle and context.

Space

The Mayor of London has provided space standards for dwellings as indicated in the infographic below. As architects we interpret this as the baseline for space calculations for individual dwellings.

Functionality

Homes must function efficiently on a daily basis and not just as a theoretical model.

Circulation

A feature that is common to many of our current projects is a double circulation system. We like to create a plan that gives more than one way to move around a series of spaces – the private and the public routes.

Entrance

The first impression and a pause space, a welcoming space and from which the arrangement and character of the dwelling can be seen and understood.

Privacy

Spaces are created that allow the inhabitants to be on their own, to be together or to be with guests. Hierarchical spaces can be introduced into internal layouts to encourage different levels of privacy.

Comfort

Homes should be designed to provide comfortable relaxing environments that facilitiate individual and collective activities.

Storage

Daily, weekly and long term storage are essential for a clutter free home. Opportunities to create functional and accessible storage spaces can be found in hidden spaces or internal voids.

Adaptability

Homes should allow ‘room to grow’ and be adaptable to the changing needs of its inhabitants as they progress through their lives.

Live/Work

It is important to integrate into the overall design areas where people can work at home. The ability to work from home has become a critical component of the 21^st century lifestyle.

Designing a Home: The Individual Model Multiplied

Here we give an example of an Individual Model illustrating Options 2 and 4 below:

Designing a home that fulfills the expectations of the end user(s) begins with assessing the accommodation needs of the individual(s) who will live within the residential units.

There are many options and possibilities to be considered and each of these can be integrated into the design of multiple occupancy buildings.

Below we list some of these options:

Option 1: One floor accommodation type: Apartment

a) Apartment living for one person (example)

b) Apartment living for two people (example)

c) Apartment living for a family of two parents and up to three children (example)

d) Loft Style Apartment converted from the interior of a building with former use

Option 2: Two/three floor accommodation: Townhouse/Split level apartment/Conversion of a building with former use

a) Townhouse on two floors (Conversion example)

b) Townhouse on two floors (New-build example)

c) Townhouse on three floors (Conversion and New-build example)

Option 3: Multiple Occupancy Buildings

a) Apartment living for one person (example)

b) Apartment living for two people (example)

c) Apartment living for a family of two parents and up to three children (example

Option 4: New Build Family Home – one or two levels

a) To accommodate private and public living on two floors

b) To combine both in one plan over two floors

c) To integrate the circulation between both to enable either a. or b. to work effectively

In our early residential projects we were commonly presented with buildings that had become redundant in terms of their original uses and purposes. This was an invaluable learning curve during which we acquired knowledge of the character of old building fabrics, textures and structures, and how to combine contemporary materials with the old to evolve a common architectural language.

We believe it is important to take full advantages of all the unique influences that a site or constraint might have on a property and how to develop a design that minimizes the constraints and maximizes the potential outcome.

Architecture cannot modify a context to respond to a building but it can propose a building that both responds to its context and enhance it.

When we are designing homes we are applying the same principles that we apply to all of our projects.

Home is the framework of our lives and our ambition as architects is to offer our clients a genuine response to their immediate and authentic everyday needs.

Where to Vitruvius …

Update Note: The Housing Design Handbook.

Since this Article was released in 2018 an excellent residential design guide has been published by David Lavitt and Jo MaCafferty titled the Residential Design Handbook. The notes below outline the hierarchy of policymakers and touch on the history of design standards, however, this excellent Design Guide sets out the aspirations of modern Architects in creating the highest quality homes and neighbourhoods.

As Architects, we strive for the best possible design solution for both our clients and also the users of the buildings we design. This means that we look at each project on an individual basis and respond with a clear understanding of physical, cultural and legislative constraints. For residential developments, the key government guidelines are contained within four principle layers of design guidance.

1. The National Planning Policy Framework, the NPPF.

This is a national policy structure and sets high level targets for provision of things like residential construction targets, development in the country side, employment, community engagement and the pre app process etc along with the performance of local authorities and their relationship with developers.

2. The London Housing Design Guide 2010.

The London Housing Design Guide provides a detailed set of guidelines and is drawn from the criterial set on in the strategic documents as outlined in 1 to 3 above.

3. Housing – Supplementary Planning Guidance 2016

The Mayors SPG was published in 2016 and is a strategic view of current planning policy and performance in London. This document is an update to the 2010 Document listed below.

4. Local Level SPG and Design Guides.

Each Local Authority issues Planning Guidance as part of their own core strategy documents. The guidance varies from council to council but all must acknowledge the greater strategic design criteria set by central and regional government.

Whilst we have a profound understanding of government guidance within the hierarchy outlined above it is the 2010 publication, The Mayors Housing Design Guide (4) along with the 2016 update SPG (3) that are most referenced for specific design standards.

The Evolution of Standards

Standards in Architectural Design for housing provision have been set for many centuries. The cultural expectations have been set out by numerous Intellectual’s, Architects and Artists throughout history. Three examples of standards that have been influential in the evolution of modernist culture are noted below, there are many more prominent works through history particularly from alternative cultural backgrounds.

De Architectura – The Ten Books on Architecture (30 – 15 BC)

The Roman Architect Vitruvius published De Architectura almost exactly 2000 years ago. The treatise provides a wealth of information on the layout, technology and materials of buildings and structures for developers in antiquity.

Within book 3 Vitruvius studies human proportions and the relationship of human form with the built environment. Book 6 sets guidelines for private houses with information on response to climate and context, symmetry and proportions, exposure and type and goes on to look at good construction practice with particular notes on foundations and sub-structures.

Leonardo Da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man (c.1490)

Leonardo’s work demonstrates the blend of mathematics and art during the Renaissance. The work clearly illustrates the earlier De Architectura with Leonardo’s own measurements of human bodies. Leonard’s Vitruvian Man depicts a man in two superimposed positions and is sometimes called the ‘Canon of Proportions’.

It was Vitruvius that proposed that the human figure was the principal source of proportion used in classical orders of Architecture. Leornardo’s drawing was an investigation into the relationship of human form and the built environment.

The Modulor and Modulor 2 (c.1948)

The French Architect Corbusier published The Modulor in 1948 followed by Modulor 2 in 1954. The books profile an investigation that attempts to find understand the complex issues surrounding human form. The Modulor is a sequence of measurements which Le Corbusier used to achieve harmony within architectural compositions. The Modulor was intended as a universal system of proportions.

Sky space living

There has been a growing trend to maximise sky space living possibilities within the dense urban fabric of Central London where land values have appreciably risen and lower level spaces are largely given over to commercial and residential use. In this blog we describe what we have learned from our experience of rooftop extension design.

Low-rise buildings of six to seven storeys through to high-rise buildings of sixteen to seventeen storeys, residential or otherwise used, are eminently suited to a rooftop implant. These typologies can offer options for private residential apartment (s) or studio/office (s) or a combination of the two.

Rooftop developments are as functionally diverse as are those who commission them. One might be a penthouse apartment to be lived in by the client, one might be a solicitor’s office for his/her personal use, one might be a residential development of five apartments to rent or a mixed development comprising two spacious apartments and studio/office space.

Douglas and King have completed several rooftop developments in Shoreditch – all in the Hackney Conservation Area. We completed the first one several years ago – it sits on the sky space of our old studio and one of our on-going projects now sits on the roof of our current studio. Three of our current sky space projects have come to us from clients we had already worked with. New clients come to us simply because of our local and specific rooftop development expertise.

There are several ways to approach rooftop design – as a new build on a clean slate site, as an addition to the skyline as viewed from the street or as an addition to a host building. We have found that a small difference to the context can result in a very different development approach.

Rooftop projects encourage designers and builders to sharpen their thinking and to work together from the early stages in order to produce a successful, efficient and cost-effective outcome. There is little room for later design revisions or changes to the construction approach. The bonus for this early and close collaboration is that the project, once on site, tends to move faster as a result of the forward planning.

The design parameters are defined by the structure, access and services determined by the host building, its height and its immediate surroundings. The design has to be conceived with considerations such as scaffolding and access, disturbance to neighbours, noise levels, increased vehicular traffic, and the other unwelcome aspects of the construction process – each and every one of these should be addressed and minimised. In some projects, to gain access for craning large elements onto the site has proved to be impossible.

For each project the design team evaluates the benefit of using prefabricated elements in order to minimise the construction timeframe, site access and working at height.

In general we find that the most workable solution is to erect a steel frame and construct exterior walls using glazed and cladded panels. If the structure of the host building is irregular, then the structure of the extension will reflect the irregularity and accordingly it is easier to erect and complete on site. We often design the proportions of the façade and glazing so that they interact with the grid positions determined by the host building below.

Sometimes traditional methods of construction can prove to be the most expedient option.

Designing with relatively traditional methods means that we can approach a wider range of contractors to gain broader expertise and competitive prices. We try to specify dry construction methods wherever possible, e.g. a steel frame with cladding that can be mechanically fixed. The skimming of plasterboard walls and ceilings, and the grouting of tiles are the only concession we try to make to wet trades.

Where possible building elements are prepared at ground level and hoisted or craned onto the construction platform in easy-to-handle chunks. We have found that working on rooftops ensures that the main contractor carefully considers the construction programme and process, the site set up and storage facilities– there is never enough room for working or storage at high level.

Rooftop extensions involve working over someone else’s head, home or place of work. We have ourselves experienced one of our own projects being built over our heads so we know how disruptive it can be. The noise generated by work on a roof level travels down the building with alacrity, as does the fallout of dust and dirt and can be alarming to the residents below if they have not been made fully aware of potential side effects. In advance of the construction phase we go to great lengths to ensure that the other building occupiers are conversant with the construction process, time frame, etc.

When designing at rooftop level it is tempting to prioritise the external views which are generally spectacular. We have found that extensive glazing is inappropriate in domestic and small office environments as it results in a lack of privacy and contributes to a greenhouse effect.

The outdoor spaces associated with rooftop developments give endless possibilities for sculpture courts, exotic planting, fabulous views and, for star-gazers – an observatory of their own.