UK’s volume housebuilders set to adopt design principles pioneered at Poundbury
11 new house building developments will be recognised today (1 February 2006) by the Home Builders Federation (HBF) and The Prince’s Foundation for the Built Environment for adopting Foundation design principles that help improve the quality of life for the people who will live there.
The two organisations have made a joint commitment to see these principles adopted much more widely by the UK’s mainstream house builders. This would see the integration of private and social housing, local shops and amenities located within walking distance of homes and a distinctive local character. The 11 recognised schemes highlight the extent to which the principles – a move away from car-dependent housing and ghettoised council estates dominated by tower blocks - are currently embraced and will be the benchmark for creating an industry-wide programme of design education to be delivered via the HBF.
This approach to designing streets, buildings and public spaces, based on time-tested methods, appeared in HRH The Prince of Wales’s book “A Vision of Britain” in 1989. Later these qualities were embodied in Poundbury, the urban extension of Dorchester and in 1999 The Prince’s Foundation began to teach and practice this approach. The Foundation is currently helping shape the design of over 20 developments in UK and overseas.
Hank Dittmar, Chief Executive of The Prince’s Foundation comments:
“This programme highlights the fact that neighbourhoods matter and our commitment with the HBF is to design and build them better. By benchmarking the best from today, we give ourselves a base-line from which to improve.
“The challenge is that key skills in making this kind of place are not generally taught in design schools or understood more widely. But the good news is that the missing skills are not that hard to teach and with the HBF we will be able to equip designers with a range of design tools to help them plug the skills gaps. The more we see these skills deployed in new house building, the more we can look forward to places that are healthier and greener to live in, streets that are safer and neighbourhoods that offer a more affordable lifestyle for families and individuals. Furthermore, we can also expect these new developments to increase, rather than decrease, in value over time.”
Stewart Baseley, Executive Chair of the Home Builders Federations comments:
“The Home Builders Federation is delighted to be partnering The Prince’s Foundation in this important initiative to put quality of life at the centre of the design process. It demonstrates the clear commitment of the home building industry to attain the highest design standards and deliver the best quality homes for their customers. Most significantly, these design principles provide an important basis for the wider industry to meet the challenge of building all new homes to carbon-zero performance standards by 2016.”
10 benefits of traditionally designed neighbourhoods:-
The Foundation believes that if we design in a traditional, time-tested manner we will reap benefits including:-
· Convenience – you won’t have to spend a litre of petrol to buy a pint of milk or beer
· Lively, safer and more welcoming streets
· Neighbourhoods with local context and character
· House values which increase in value over time, above the market average
· Craftsmanship and quality materials which make houses distinctive
· Opportunity to move to a larger of smaller house without leaving the community
· A higher level of amenity at local level (health, school etc)
· A saving of energy and money through more efficient houses and alternatives to car dependency
· Public space in the neighbourhood which is attractive – parks, squares and pedestrian friendly streets
· Designs which last and don’t date
The 11 recognised developed are :-
Crest Nicholson - Port Marine, Portishead, North Somerset
George Wimpey - Westoe Crown Village, South Shields, Tyne and Wear
Redrow - Schooner’s Creek, Colchester, Essex
Bovis Homes - The Anchorage, Wivenhoe
Bellway Homes - Butts Green, Warrington
Barratt - Visage, Swiss Cottage, London
McCarthy & Stone - Eden Court, Cupar, Fife
Berkeley Group - Ropetackle, Shoreham-by-Sea
David Wilson Homes - Leckhampton, Cheltenham Spa
Bryant Homes/ Taylor Woodrow - Grand Union Village, Northolt
Persimmon Homes - Anchor Mills, Paisley, Scotland
The recognised schemes were selected by a judging panel led by Hank Dittmar and Stewart Baseley and including Adam O’Rourke, Senior Lecturer on Designed Environment at Nottingham Trent University and Ben Bolgar, Director of Design Theory at The Prince's Foundation.
Notes to Editors:
What is The Prince’s Foundation?
The Prince’s Foundation for the Built Environment is an educational charity which seeks to improve the quality of people’s lives by teaching and practicing timeless and ecological ways of planning, designing and building.
HRH The Prince of Wales’s book “A Vision of Britain” was published in 1989.
What were the criteria against which the developments were assessed?
The Place – Proposals should integrate with the existing fabric of movement, spaces, and community, respecting and enhancing existing features and buildings.
Hierarchy – Scale of buildings should reflect their public importance and be appropriate for the location.
Structure – The layout of streets should provide a logical framework for vehicular and pedestrian movement that is convenient, safe and legible for the user.
Scheme Design – The blocks will clearly define the public realm, and enclose private space. Their design must accommodate the car parking and garaging in convenient locations with high levels of natural surveillance.
Harmony – Architecture shall reference the locality to ensure a cohesive urban realm that provides a ‘sense of place’, with each building being in tune with its neighbour.
Enclosure – Block structure encloses internal private space. Access to these spaces should be limited and overlooked to ensure a sense of security for the users.
Materials – The choice of materials should reflect and complement those commonly found locally and where possible, be locally sourced.
Art and Decoration – Opportunities to incorporate unique decorative elements should
be sought, including pattern, building crafts and sculpture.
Public Space – The public realm should enhance the setting of the buildings. Elements including hard and soft landscaping, street furniture, means of enclosure and the inclusion of public art will all contribute to the space and can promote a sense
of pride and ownership.
Longevity – Design should create streets and buildings of appropriate quality and demonstrable flexibility to endure over time.
Value – The scheme should represent a valuable asset in economic, social, and environmental terms.
Construction – Quality of construction and choice of materials should be high enough to guarantee longevity as well as the satisfaction and well-being of homes’ inhabitants.
Sustainability – The scheme should satisfy the appropriate sustainability criteria and offer energy efficient solutions that fit the lifestyle of the user.
Customers – The scheme should recognise and respect the needs and requirements of customers and seek to exceed their aspirations for their homes.
Issued by: The Prince’s Foundation for the Built Environment
19-22 Charlotte Road
London
EC2A 3SG
For information: Kathy Hasler
01666 823445
07710 418758 (mob)
press@princes-foundation.org
Date: 1 February 2006