We recently carried out research among 150 decision makers involved in the specification of building materials used for social housing developments to explore several key challenges facing the sector, including the housing shortage, sustainability and building quality. To discuss these findings further we hosted a virtual roundtable, which was attended by a panel of leading experts from across the sector including architects, consultants and social housing developers.
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Sustainability
Perhaps unsurprisingly, our research found that nine in ten social housing construction professionals believe the sector is in urgent need of new guidelines from the government if it is going to successfully meet its sustainability targets. 88% of respondents agreed that the sector cannot wait for the pending Decarbonisation Fund and Decent Homes Standard review to define how it is going to become more sustainable – it needs this detail now.
A quarter of people we spoke with said that it was too late and that further detail was required in 2020 if it was going to adapt in time to meet the government's sustainability targets. 29% of the sector believes that there is still time, but only if the government provides further guidance in the first half of this year. This opinion was echoed by the panel of industry experts who attended the recent roundtable.
While attendees noted the importance of the stringent targets in order to give the sector a benchmark to aim for and didn’t necessarily think they were unattainable, there was strong agreement that the industry cannot wait for the government to lead this. The industry needs to collaborate, communicate and innovate to tackle this issue head-on. Roundtable attendee, Tomasz Romaniewicz, architect at Bond Bryan summed it up: “Personal responsibility is key to this and we should be aiming for bigger aspirations. We all need to play our part if we’re going to make a genuine difference long-term.”
Housing shortage
Not only must the UK build more sustainably, but it also needs to increase the rate at which new homes are built to reach the government’s target of 300,000 new homes by 2025. 56% of social housing experts in our research said that, like with sustainability, significantly more guidance and support is required from the government if it’s to meet this target. A number of our panel experts demonstrated a more optimist outlook to the high target with Mark Murphy, land, planning & development director at developer MLN, commenting: “It’s right to have the target, so long as this is a minimum and not a ceiling figure. Last year, we built around 240,000 homes so while that’s still short, we are proving it’s doable.” Michael Swiszczowski, director at architect practice, Chapman Taylor, supported his view saying: “I think 300,000 houses per year is absolutely achievable. There has been a gradual increase in development over the past six years, and each year we’re getting nearer to hitting the target. The argument is there that we should actually be pushing it even higher because we have a historic deficiency.”
Tomasz Romaniewicz added: “I think the target of 300,000 can be met, but we need to reform the planning system that focusses more on a city region approach, away from political localism especially if we’re going to build the numbers we need.” – a view with which many attendees agreed.
Housing quality
As well as building greater volumes in a more environmentally friendly manner, the UK’s social housing stock needs to maintain a high standard of build quality. 38% of research respondents said that the government needs to allocate more funding to achieve this. Our panel were very much in agreement that raising the quality of housing should be top of everyone’s agenda and responsibility should not just fall with one party.
Nick Gornall, head of development at Great Places Housing Group, kicked off the discussion on this topic with some provoking questions: “Who are the real gatekeepers to quality and design standards? Is it the government? Or is it everyone? In my opinion, everyone should set their own high standards. Is this what I want to be known for, cheap developments? What will the lasting impact of a development be? The fact you made a really good financial return (likely to be forgotten) or the lasting legacy of quality homes which will be sustainable for years to come?”
He was backed up in his views by all attendees, including Marian Burke, director at Marke Property Consultancy, who added: “The whole lifecycle costs of a project needs to be ingrained in everything you do. I’m not sure if as a sector we understand or value whole lifecycle costs as much as we should do yet. Giving a project to the lowest bidder is surely not sustainable for anyone in the supply chain? If everyone along the supply chain committed to improving standards, we would view the front-end specification very differently.”
Collaboration at the core
One consistent theme arising across all discussions and throughout our research was the need for better collaboration and communication throughout the supply chain – everyone needs to be working to a common goal and be willing to take responsibility if we’re to tackle the challenges that lie ahead. At Wienerberger we’re actively looking at how we can make this happen and play our part.
At Wienerberger we’re actively looking at how we can make this happen and play our part, in the first instance, our full building envelope solution Homespec, is a great place to start. It secures your project from start to finish, ensuring collaboration is at the core by providing peace of mind, product performance and partnership. Find out more here.
If you’re interested in discussing this further or for more information on the research findings, please contact katie.davage@wienerberger.com.
