Scottish Government
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Better housing design

A report promoting better design to raise the quality of Scotland's future built environment was unveiled yesterday.

Addressing an architectural and building seminar in Edinburgh, Culture Minister Linda Fabiani launched the report - Design At The Heart Of House Building - as an excellent starting point for architects, developers and local authorities to work together to deliver higher quality, design-led, sustainable housing and communities - a key ambition of the Scottish Government.

Ms Fabiani said:

"The Scottish Government sees the creation of better-designed, sustainable communities as one of its key ambitions and the private house-building industry has an important role to play in achieving that goal.

"This research study provides a step forward in our understanding of the house-building industry - in terms of its approach to design, the complexities of the issues it faces and where external advice and support might be beneficial to achieving our joint ambitions.

"The report provides an excellent starting point for all interested parties to work together to better understand how we can deliver higher quality, design-led, sustainable housing.''

Addressing delegates from across Scotland's building and architecture sectors, Ms Fabiani stressed how the Scottish Government is striving to be more 'user friendly' to developers and others involved in the building process, citing the recent move to bring architecture policy, building standards and planning together in a new Directorate for the Built Environment.

The report's conclusions and recommendations show how there needs to be a wider understanding of the process of private sector housing development, noting how design quality has become a more important component in the development process.

It also highlights the increased importance of using well-qualified designers who understand the development process, while urging local authorities, landowners, developers and other interested parties to be more proactive in ensuring design quality is high on the agenda in each considered development.

Other recommendations point to how government and local authorities can help private house-builders raise design quality by providing research support for the housing sector on issues such as sustainable design and by ensuring the planning process play its part, via adequately staffed and skilled local authority planning departments.

The publication also calls for an adequate supply of both green-field and brown-field land to address rising development demand, while noting the need for a wider understanding of the overall process of private sector housing development.

Sebastian Tombs, chief executive of Architecture and Design Scotland added:

"We welcome this commissioned research report, providing new evidence to inform our work. The report usefully explores the various levels of design skills, technological innovation and partnership needed to make not just well-designed and durable individual homes, but sustainable places".

Allan Lundmark, director of planning at Homes for Scotland - - the umbrella organisation for private house builders said:

"The home building industry commends the research team on this rigorous research which acknowledges that the homebuilding industry is not homogeneous but made up of large and small businesses which operate across different geographical and market sectors.

"There are complex forces at work that influence design in house building, not least of all the problems associated with the chronic undersupply of land. Set against this backdrop, this research has expertly set the parameters for a conversation about design and has highlighted the obstacles that are currently in our way. We are encouraged that government is prepared to work with the industry, regulators and developers to drive forward the 'Place-making' agenda. The industry is committed to building the new sustainable communities of tomorrow - in that sense design is at the heart of what we do."

The commissioned research objectives of Design At The Heart Of Housebuilding were to:-

    * explore whether there is a clear vision and understanding of design and design policy amongst the key stakeholders
    * understand issues surrounding skills and training in design in house-building organisations
    * identify examples of good practice where house-builders have overcome barriers and successfully placed design at the heart of their house-building programme
    * disseminate such examples of good practice within the house-building industry to further promote the value of design more effectively so that house-building in Scotland becomes a design-led activity

The research focuses primarily on development processes, but also reflects the impact of this on housing products through the case studies.

The research team appointed was made up of academics from Heriot Watt and Edinburgh Universities. Logistic assistance in approaching the house-building companies was provided by Homes for Scotland - the umbrella organisation for private house-builders in Scotland. Homes for Scotland were also members of a small Advisory Group and the wider Reference Group for the project. The Advisory Group included three representatives from house-building companies, Architecture and Design Scotland and officials from Scottish Government. The Reference Group included representatives from the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland, Royal Town Planning Institute in Scotland, Royal Incorporation of Chartered Surveyors, Communities Scotland, Ownership Options, Built Environment Forum Scotland, the Scottish Building Federation, the Scottish Rural Property and Business Association, the National House Building Council and the SUST: Sustainability in Architecture project.

The project was commissioned in three phases, based on different research methods:-

    * A questionnaire e-mail survey to cover as many Scottish private sector house-builders as possible, to provide an overview of the sector's operation and the role of design within this. (A 25 per cent response rate was received, representing 37 per cent of all private sector house completions across Scotland in 2005/6)
    * Interviews with senior management and design staff of a sample of the responding firms, to investigate initial findings in more depth and identify possible case studies
    * A series of case studies of good practice vis-à-vis design in the development process, highlighting the impact of this on the final housing product

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