{"id":771399,"date":"2025-01-23T09:18:04","date_gmt":"2025-01-23T09:18:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/?p=771399"},"modified":"2025-01-23T09:18:04","modified_gmt":"2025-01-23T09:18:04","slug":"in-2025-were-shining-a-spotlight-on-the-challenges-of-designing-quality-housing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/news\/opinion\/in-2025-were-shining-a-spotlight-on-the-challenges-of-designing-quality-housing","title":{"rendered":"In 2025 we\u2019re shining a spotlight on the challenges of designing quality housing"},"content":{"rendered":"

Housing (or the lack of it) is one of the defining national issues of our time. The AJ is kicking off the new year with a focus on what architects can bring to help solve the housing crisis: design quality, sustainable approaches, an understanding of the importance of place, delivery expertise and drive, to name a few.<\/span><\/p>\n

Whether the government\u2019s target to build 1.5 million new homes within the next five years is achievable is up for debate. There is also a massive climate challenge here \u2013 you can\u2019t build 1.5 million brand new homes and stay within critical carbon budgets. Yet homes are desperately needed; there\u2019s a moral imperative to provide them and they should be decent, well-built and supported by proper, sustainable infrastructure.<\/span><\/p>\n

Perfection should not be the enemy of the good when facing a challenge of this magnitude. While shoddy, cheap, gas-guzzling homes are a short-term sticking-plaster, what is key is an environmentally-sensitive build quality that is also deliverable. There is a need \u2013 and an opportunity \u2013 for good architecture here, prioritising retrofit and reuse techniques and sustainable M&E wherever possible.<\/span><\/p>\n

Over the following pages you\u2019ll see examples of where architects have played crucial roles in successful schemes. It\u2019s interesting to see common themes emerge \u2013 often using historical precedent for practical inspiration. If something has worked well before, why not riff off the theme? <\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018Everything that has worked before, we\u2019ve done again,\u2019 says Mae\u2019s Alex Ely, commenting on the latest phase of the ambitious regeneration with Hawkins\\Brown of the Agar Grove Estate for Camden Council. <\/span><\/p>\n

And Pitman Tozer\u2019s Bulrush Court for The Guinness Partnership, the latest addition to the Leaside Lock development in Tower Hamlets, uses the 1930s mid-rise mansion block as a tried-and-tested model. \u2018We\u2019re very interested in how it provides density but on a relatively human scale,\u2019 says Luke Tozer. Previous examples by the practice include two schemes for Peabody which, each in its own way, reclaimed notably difficult sites for dwellings on a relatable scale.<\/span><\/p>\n

There isn\u2019t time to waste in squaring up to the housing and climate challenge<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

While pattern books of architectural designs<\/a> evoke mixed feelings \u2013 and mindful of the many specific challenges facing individual sites \u2013 there is surely something in the notion of sharing learning and maximising efficiency where possible. There isn\u2019t time to waste in squaring up to the housing and climate challenge, and streamlining best practice makes sense.<\/span><\/p>\n

Good housing, then, will be a topic we put our editorial energies into through 2025 and beyond. Our aim is to bang the drum for the profession, spelling out how architects can be pivotal to solving this national crisis in a sustainable way.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

We\u2019re keen to spotlight the challenges of designing and delivering quality housing, celebrate proven successes and promote positive case studies to decision-makers and influencers beyond the immediate architectural community. We\u2019re pleased to be working with the Architects\u2019 Action for Affordable Housing<\/a> campaign in this endeavour and we look forward to hearing more about your stand-out schemes.<\/span><\/p>\n

The January edition of the AJ is out now. Subscribers can read the digital edition here<\/a>, or copies of the printed magazine can be purchased\u00a0here<\/a>. An AJ subscription is better value \u2013\u00a0click here<\/a> to view our packages.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Housing (or the lack of it) is one of the defining national issues of our time. The AJ is kicking off the new year with a focus on what architects can bring to help solve the housing crisis: design quality, sustainable approaches, an understanding of the importance of place, delivery expertise and drive, to name …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":80649,"featured_media":771404,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"ep_exclude_from_search":false},"categories":[745],"tags":[101071,1278,1155,2384],"yoast_head":"\nIn 2025 we\u2019re shining a spotlight on the challenges of designing quality housing<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In 2025 our aim is to bang the drum for the profession, spelling out how architects can be pivotal to solving the housing crisis in a sustainable way, says Emily Booth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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